Plant Genetic Resources and Gastronomic Tourism

Abstract

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) came into the worldattention due to their genetic erosion upon the adoption of the International Treatyon Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty) in 2001.Among these, landraces are recognized for their value when are maintained in thesame agro-ecosystem for more than 50 years. However, food security as a complexand sensitive subject, is acting between national and local levels and depends onsocio-economic attributes of rural societies deeply embedded in the history of theplace grounding the traditional knowledge (TK) related to local communities'lifestyle. In the past 25 years Romania lost more than 75% of its own plant geneticresources based on recorded official data, even its economy depends on the activityof more than 69% small landowners (i.e. over 800,000.00). From economic pointof view, such type of agriculture is not productive. However, 32% of the todayRomania’s territory is declared as protected areas and most of these arable landsare in buffering zones or inside protected areas. Studying the village Ațel, fromSibiu county, Valea Târnavelor (i.e. in the buffering zones of protected areas),reveals that rural areas are rich pools of landraces that have been preserved andcultivated by at least 50% of local householders for more than 50 years (i.e. wheat,corn, rye, barley, oats, peas, cabbage, beans, onions, lettuce, spinach, celery,parsley, garlic, carrot, dills). The poorness of these villages in the today economicterms is counteracted by the richness of biodiversity, TK, PGRFA and localgastronomy. The scope of this article is to envisage original approaches, forconnecting local TK to economy based on gastronomic tourism that may providethese villages the chance to become part of it.