Embedding crop diversity and networking for local high-quality food systems – Case studies of the marketing of products from newly bred lines and underutilized crops

The overall aim of Task 5.1 of the DIVERSIFOOD project, a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation, is to produce recommendations and guidelines for the marketing and valorisation strategies of biodiverse food products, including products from underutilized crops and based on newly-bred lines from participatory plant breeding.  The work presented in this article identifies success and critical factors of existing marketing and valorisation strategies of biodiverse food products initiatives, analysing the whole process of value-adding and communication from the genetic resource to the food product. A common case study approach was used by national teams in eight countries, involving around 180 interviews with various actors of each initiative, including producers and a diversity of other supply chain actors and consumers.