The Importance of Technical Support in the Return of Traditional Crops in the Alps: The Case of Rye in Camonica Valley

Abstract

Multifunctional agriculture could be strategic for the recovery of some mountain areas of the Alps, and traditional crops like cereals generated study cases that triggered processes of development, such as rye in Camonica Valley (Northern Italy). However, farmers are often newcomers, and the specificities of low input agriculture make the training in agriculture fundamental. The impact of public workshops/seminars (organized by the Ge.S.Di.Mont. Research Centre of the University of Milan in Camonica Valley) on cereal cultivation between 2016 and 2021 was investigated. Moreover, rye produced in Camonica Valley was analyzed. The results show an increase in participation and a wider use of the streaming service. The percentage of participants not from an agricultural background had always remained about 50%, but decreased to 15.17% ± 5.07 in 2021, in contrast to the increase of professionals in agriculture and forestry. This is probably due to the accreditation of training activities for agronomists and foresters, and to the start of specific training projects regarding cereals. Samples of rye produced in Camonica Valley following the period of training activities were phytochemically/nutritionally characterized and compared to commercial rye. Locally produced rye proved to be comparable to the commercial one; however it showed a remarkable unevenness in secondary metabolite content and productivity, due to environmental differences and diverse agro-techniques.

The cultivation of rye in marginal Alpine environments: a comparison of the agronomic, technological, health and sanitary traits of local landraces and commercial cultivars

“…The rye landraces were characterized by higher levels of SPAs and CWBPAS, in both environments, than the conventional rye cultivars, although the AC of the whole-grain flour, as measured by means of two assays, was similar among the rye genotypes, in agreement with that of Leoni et al (2021) for the whole-grain flour of rye landraces from a Northwest Italian valley. Instead, Kulichovaé t al.…”

“…Therefore, the rheological traits and bread-making aptitude of mixes made of wheat and rye flour should be carefully evaluated in order to successfully produce landrace-based products and develop high value supply chains for marginal environments. In addition to the qualitative traits, local rye landraces are regarded as key components, from a cultural and social perspective, as the resumption of historic and traditional rye supply chains in specific environments can contribute to the recovery of abandoned and marginal areas where rye was a typical agricultural product in the past ( Leoni et al., 2021 ). The genetic variation and diversity of landraces originating from the northern and eastern parts of Europe, which are characterized by cold winters, as well as the genetic distances and relationships among landraces and between landraces and commonly cultivated improved varieties have already been investigated ( Kühn and Hammer, 1979 ; Persson and von Bothmer, 2002 ; Larsson et al., 2019 ).…”

“…The genetic variation and diversity of landraces originating from the northern and eastern parts of Europe, which are characterized by cold winters, as well as the genetic distances and relationships among landraces and between landraces and commonly cultivated improved varieties have already been investigated ( Kühn and Hammer, 1979 ; Persson and von Bothmer, 2002 ; Larsson et al., 2019 ). A few studies ( Peratoner et al., 2016 ; Leoni et al., 2021 ; Colombo et al., 2022 ) have recently agronomically and/or qualitatively characterized and compared modern populations of rye cultivars with landraces collected from farmers in the central Italian Alpine valleys, thereby highlighting the current interest in restoring the cultivation of traditional cereal crops, such as rye, and their supply chains. The reconversion of abandoned farmlands into productive areas through farming can in fact positively affect the access to and relaunching of marginal areas.…”

New potential in old varieties : Using landrace cereal to meet food production challenges

“…Most of the present literature on landrace cereal cultivation from the Global North deals with farming under marginal conditions with relatively small farm units. Where Italian farmers managed marginal land, some tended to prefer landrace cereal and pulses instead of modern varieties, since they experienced that the landraces had a higher yieldstability than the modern varieties Leoni et al 2021). Similar results were observed by landrace vegetable growers in Romania (Maxim et al 2020) and small-scale farmers growing landrace oats (Avena strigosa Schreb) and Shetland cabbage (Brassica oleracea L .)…”

“…The farms in the study were mainly located in what the farmers themselves described as areas marginal for cereal production, similar to other studies of landrace cultivation in Europe Scholten 2012;Maxim et al 2020). However, the farmers were primarily not smallholders, which is frequently the case in the literature from the Global South (Altieri and Merrick 1987;) and also in some instances from the Global North (Scholten 2012;Leoni et al 2021). They were, with some exceptions, farmers with medium to relatively large sized farms, and all the farms except one were organic without this being a selection criterion.…”