YEREVAN, October 30. /ARKA/. The Armenian-French “Seed” program, supported by the Acba Federation, was presented at COP17. It aims to study and preserve endemic seeds grown in Armenia.
As part of the program, an Armenian-French scientific expedition collected hundreds of local seeds from various regions of Armenia, which will be studied and preserved to further support agricultural producers and combat climate change.
Knowledge transfer is a key component of the program. Training courses are planned to teach agricultural producers how to properly collect, store, cultivate, and use local seeds.
“The main goal of the program is to create an endemic seed bank, as endemic agricultural crops are gradually disappearing.” “In this context, the Acba Federation supported the ‘Seed’ program, making an important contribution to the preservation of endemic seeds and the development of sustainable agriculture capable of withstanding climate change,” noted Harutyun Poghosyan, CEO of the Acba Federation.
Bastien Jouan, Vice President for Agriculture, Eco-Efficiency, Urban Nature, and Food Sovereignty at the Metropolitan City of Lyon, expressed his commitment to adapting agricultural systems to make them more resilient to climate change.
“The work carried out within the program is of particular importance to us. It will allow us to provide farmers with seeds that may prove more resilient to climate change in the future. We are conducting trials, studying various varieties, and assessing their potential. The Acba Federation is participating with us in this program, supporting the initiative and helping to bring it to life,” noted Jouan.
Stéphane Crozat, co-founder and scientific director of the Lyon Resource Center for Applied Botany, reported that a large-scale seed collection was conducted over the course of more than three weeks in 66 different locations. Nearly 461 seed varieties were collected.
“The seeds are distinguished by their diversity, as Armenia has nine different climate zones. This is extremely important for both Armenia and France, as it will allow us to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. The participation of the Acba Federation in this program is of great importance. If we want to develop climate-resilient agriculture, investment is essential,” Crozat noted.
Aimé Fauzant, Attaché for Decentralized Cooperation at the French Embassy in Armenia, stated that the “Seed” program is being implemented with the support of the French Embassy in Armenia. The program was developed in response to identified real needs and aims to find solutions to increase the resilience of agriculture to climate change.
