FITONET, the social network of plant biodiversity, is born

• The FITONET project begins, which unites relevant Spanish companies and research centers to develop tools that allow the agri-food sector to value plant biodiversity
• The objective of FITONET is to establish a digital environment and living laboratories to value plant genetic resources of agricultural interest
• FITONET has been chosen as one of the most innovative projects in the OPERATIONAL GROUPS 2022 call, managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Current agrarian systems are increasingly characterized because they use a limited number of varieties vegetables that, in many cases, have focused on enhancing their productivity in an intensive agriculture system, with a strong environmental and unsustainable impact, and conditioned by the demand for uniformity of the majority producers.

This uniformity and globalization Both production and the market are responsible, in part, for the progressive abandonment of rural areas. Likewise, climate change is intensifying the abiotic stresses, increasing drought and heat episodes. If crops remain genetically uniform, a vulnerability may occur that will reduce their productivity, reduce their quality and contribute to the abandonment of agricultural and forest lands that are currently profitable.

These new challenges will undoubtedly imply a better adaptation of crops to specific environments and to new agroclimatic conditions (soil and climate), and the development of new technologies applied to agricultural production. He taking advantage of the biodiversity of crops will be key to expand the narrow genetic base of the currently cultivated varieties and the diversified development of new resilient and productive varieties that allow maintaining the profitability of the agrarian systems while contributing to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Therefore, sustainable agricultural production is a strategic challenge in European, national and regional research plans. Thus, within the framework of research projects, plant pre-improvement materials have been developed, which are conserved and in many cases documented, and which will be very useful to expand the genetic base of crops. The drawback is that this information is not centralized and standardized and has little visibility, which makes access to these resources extremely difficult to develop new productive and sustainable plant varieties.

The FITONET Operational Group aims to establish the bases to create a dynamic professional social network focused on the use of plant genetic resources where researchers, farmers and the agri-food sector exchange knowledge and needs and collaborate in the process of recovery and/or generation of new quality, sustainable and profitable crops and products.

The project is promoted and coordinated by Cellbitec Foundation, and has top-level members such as the Higher Council of Scientific Research CSIC-through the PTI AGROFOR-, Bullsoft Solutions, the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA), Da Cunha Group (DACUNHA), the Creative Works, AGROSA and Cajamar Foundation. Within this innovative project, BIOVEGEN – Plant Biotechnology Technology Platform will be responsible for coordinating valorization and dissemination activities.

Thus, FITONET aims to implement a system of ttransfer of information starting from a wide network of collections with pre-breeding and improvement varieties, increase the genetic diversity of crops to obtain better adapted and differentiated products, develop a dynamic professional social network and generate living labs / pilot experiences that demonstrate to farmers, the agri-food sector and society in general the importance of using biodiversity to obtain quality, sustainable and profitable crops and products. In this way, it will facilitate access to plant genetic resources and improved varieties, promoting greater involvement by farmers, associations and companies.

FITONET was considered one of the most innovative projects of those presented in the 2022 call of the OPERATIONAL GROUPS program, being proposed for financing by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The FITONET Operational Group, with a budget of 594,138.18 euros, is co-financed by the European Union at 80% under the European Agrarian Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and at 20% under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, being The managing authority in charge of implementing the aid is the General Directorate of Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training (DGDRIFA).

About Cellbitec Foundation

The Cellbitec Foundation was born from the biotechnology business project Beyond Seeds with the desire to promote scientific research, talent management and innovative capabilities in the life sciences. Likewise, the CELLBITEC Foundation collaborates with universities, public and private research centers, to generate new scientific knowledge and improve people's lives.

About AGROFOR

The Agrofor Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform is an initiative of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) made up of 35 research groups and whose purpose is the optimization of agricultural and forestry systems, understood in terms of efficient management of plant genetic diversity through the recovery and use of biodiversity, the reduction of the impact of crops on the environment, and the increase in the sustainability, resilience and profitability of agricultural and forestry production. Among the centers that are part of the PTI is the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources (CRF), whose mission is to contribute to the preservation and use of the genetic diversity of cultivated species, varieties and ecotypes of native plants and cultivars in disuse and of wild species, whose genetic potential is susceptible to being used in research, improvement, training and direct use in agriculture. In addition, the CSIC Institutes participate in this project: Biological Mission of Galicia (MBG), Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS), Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) and the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA). ). The PTI is made up of 87 researchers, including specialists in genetics, plant breeding, natural resource conservation, plant physiology, agronomy, entomology, biochemistry and bioinformatics, whose resources and knowledge are made available to the sector to increase effective use. of the biodiversity of our crops.

About Bullsoft Solutions

Bullsoft Solutions SL, software company applied to biology and agriculture, specialized in the development of its advanced solutions for the management, characterization, conservation and exploitation of plant germplasm, the design, planning and development of plant improvement and testing programs agronomic, called NOAH; to the management of agricultural holdings through their field notebook; and to comprehensive information management in clinical and research laboratories in the area of life sciences. To this end, in addition to carrying out proprietary developments for both cloud and client/server environments, it has applied and integrated into its solutions: technologies for managing large volumes of data (Big Data), machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI & Machine Learning). ), and artificial vision; traceability and process integrity systems through block chains (Blockchain); and bioinformatics applications for the analysis of biological data.

About EPS

The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) is a Professional Agricultural Organization established under the provisions of Law 19/77, with its own legal personality, nationally non-profit. UPA has a federal structure and a state level and is organized territorially through regional organizations of which it is a member. UPA has more than 80,000 members and according to the resolution of the Undersecretary of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, the UPA is recognized as the “most representative agricultural professional organization at the state level” in accordance with article 4.2 of Law 10/2009. UPA is part of the Economic and Social Council (CES) and participates in all regional or national dialogue and representation forums in Spain. Likewise, UPA is a member of the Committee of Agricultural Professional Organizations of the European Union (COPA); It is present in the Economic and Social Committee (CES) of the EU, is part of the CEJA (European Council of Young Farmers) and is the first Spanish agricultural organization member of the World Farmers Organization (WFO).

About DACUNHA

Da Cunha Group was created in 1986 by a family of artisan bakers from Carral. In 1999, the current milling facility was inaugurated, which has five stone mills for the production of wheat, corn, rye and whole wheat flour. Currently, Da Cunha Bakery, together with the companies Fariñas Das Mariñas and Pereira Fidalgo Bakeries, form the so-called Da Cunha Group, with 14 own establishments for the sale of flour, bread, empanadas, confectionery, pastries and ice cream, constituting a benchmark in the Artisanal Bakery from the North of Spain. Da Cunha sells Artisan Bakery products nationwide. Within this product range we work with white, yellow, rye and spelled corn bread in addition to making traditional confectionery products such as larpeira or snail cake.

About The Creative Workshop

Always linked to the bakery, the Panadería Hermanos Fernández company was created in 1999 by Antonio Fernández, in Córdoba, the second generation of bakers currently in charge of the company, they continue to make bread in an artisanal way and have become a reference at the level. national for the quality of its breads made with flour without additives, long fermentations using natural sourdough. It stands out for a wide variety of breads made with cereals such as durum wheat, soft wheat, oats, emmer wheat, rye, buckwheat, Tritordeum, etc. The company sells its products in its own stores and serves fine dining restaurants. They are currently expanding their business area under the Tres Hileras Bakery brand, offering breads of exceptional quality with 48 hours of fermentation with small bakeries in the same points of sale to achieve better quality, transparency and proximity to their customers.

About AGROSA

AGROSA has a very solid position in the world of certified seeds, offering a great diversity of products that allows it to respond to the needs of each growing area. As a result of research into new lines and varieties, it currently offers a wide range of varieties of cereals, legumes, oilseeds, protein crops, forage crops and plant covers.

About Cajamar Foundation

Fundación Cajamar CV is located in Paiporta, where it has an experimental center and innovative experiences related to the agricultural sector are developed and with the ultimate objective of improving the productivity and profitability of farms, as well as the modernization and applied technology.

About BIOVEGEN

BIOVEGEN-Plant Biotechnology Technology Platform is a public-private partnership currently made up of 172 partners (companies and research/technological centers) working on plant innovation. The objective of BIOVEGEN is to promote R&D&i activities in science-business collaboration, offer R&D management services and facilitate the business development of its associates through plant innovation. BIOVEGEN is supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.