SPECIAL SESSION: BUILDING BRIDGES FOR NATIVE SEEDS 2/2
Farming native seeds
for site specific mixtures
&
Importance of quality standards
in the european wild-seed-market
Rieger-Hofmann GmbH / Birgit Feucht
SER AVIGNON
AVIGNON, 23.-26.08.2010
I. Farming native seeds for site specific mixtures - WHY?
• Provide nature adapted seed-mixtures with indigenious wild
forms of grasses, legumes and herbs in sufficiant amounts to
avoid „green deserts“ in the landscape.
• Stopp the loss of biodiversity - §§ Conference of Rio 92
• Respect the genetic differences in between a species
(regional genotypes) §§ National nature protection law
Be aware:
MIXTURES OUT OF GRASS-CULTIVARS AND THE WILD
FORMS OF HERBS DO NOT FUNCTION!
I. Farming native seeds – EXAMPLES FOR SITE-SPECIFIC MIXTURES
EASTERN GERMANY / Ronneburg - uranium ore mined site
I. Farming native seeds – EXAMPLES FOR SITE-SPECIFIC MIXTURES
EASTERN GERMANY / Ronneburg
Two years later
Ronneburg / two years later
Rieger-Hofmann GmbH
I. Farming native seeds – EXAMPLES FOR SITE-SPECIFIC MIXTURES
Munich – parking deck of the soccer-arena
I. Farming native seeds - CHARACTERISTICS
Difference of farming native seeds to other methods of harvesting seeds for restoration:
Seedmixture obtained by harvesting of donorsites and distribution on a receptorsite
Example shown above: Green-hay / transfer of meadow clipping including mature seeds
Collection of single species > local propagation > site-specific mixture > restoration-site
I. Farming native seeds – WHY FARMING AND NOT TRANSFERING?
• Create specific mixtures for receptor sites (utilisation, site-conditions)
• Equilibrated mixture of species equivalent to the natural plant society
is transfered – not only seeds of species mature at the harvesting time
• Larger seedquantities of each species available the whole year
• Larger variety of species-compositions possible
I. Farming native seeds - PROPAGATION OF SINGLE SPECIES
I. Farming native seeds - Propagation / SEEDING AND PLANTING
SEEDING > Direct seeding with a tractor
PLANTING > Production of seedlings, padding and pre-cultivation for plantation
I. Farming native seeds - Propagation / WEEDCONTROL & HARVESTING
Harvest by hand
Vacuumharvesting
Mower with self-loading trailer
II. Quality aspects – CERTIFICATED INDIGENOUS SEEDS in Germany
Owner of the certificate:
Verband Deutscher Wildsaatgutund Wildpflanzenproduzenten e.V.
Association of german wild-plant
and wild-seed producers
Aims of the certificate:
www.natur-im-vww.de
Guarantee the customer
quality criterious of wild seeds
II. Quality aspects – VWW-Certification (Germany) - ORGANISATION
Private organisation
VWW
Supporting
organisation
Fixes rules and standards
Approved company
ABCert
Professional
ABCert
supervision
informs about applicants
for the certification
and pays the control
Professional supervision
controls
fields and
documentation
hands out
inspection
resluts
demands
certification
and pays
control
Producer or
Salesman
User of the VWW-certificate
hands out the
temporary certificate
warning or penalty
Committee
of certificate
e.g. governmental
representatives
5 independant persons
II. Quality aspects – TRADEMARK
VWW-Regiosaaten
2010 in Germany:
Certifyed producers
and trading
companies: 11
Surface of the certified
propagation area: > 200 ha
Number of cultures: > 1.300
Number of different species: > 400
II. Quality aspects of wild seeds – IMPORTANT CRITERIOUS
The most important criterious to be documented and controlled are …
… seed-collection in different
regions of origin allowed by
nature-conservation admininistration
NATURE
… species propagated on agricultural surfaces of the same region
Propagation
… quality control of the seeds
(taxonomic reliability, purity
germination rate)
Collection
Storage
Trade
… control of mass-flow
CLIENT
II. Quality aspects – PRODUCTION AREAS and REGIONAL ORIGINS
Production areas in Germany:
1 north-western German lowland
1-22 regions of origin /
proveniance
2 north-eastern German lowland
3 central German plain and hilly country
4 western German highland
5 south-eastern and eastern German
highland
6 south-western German highland and
and hilly country + Upper Rhine valley
7 southern German highland
8 Alps and foothills of the Alps
Producer or collector of Rieger-Hofmann
II. Quality aspects – Examples of propagation in different German landscapes
Herb cultivation in north-eastern German lowland near Flensburg
Herb cultivation in central German arid region near Halle / Saale
Herb - and grass production - central German arid region
Herb cultivation in the foothhills of the Alps near Munich
Herb cultivation in low mountain range region/ Wetzlar
Rieger-Hofmann GmbH
II. Common European quality standards – SALVERE - Project
II. EU-Quality standards – STATUS QUO 2009/2010
In most of the Central Europe partner-countries …
… there are no certificates existing
… there is almost no official market
for wild seeds
… the danger of a grey market without
proofs for indigeneous origin of wild seeds
is growing
… sometimes national laws do not allow
collection + propagation of wild seeds
… the implementation of a certificate
is supported by stakeholders in the countries
In Central Europe-Partner countries only Germany and
Austria have developped a certificate.
II. EU-Quality standards – WORK TO DO IN ALL MEMBERSTATES!
Define …
- regional bio-geographical areas not ending at the
borders of the member states
- quality standards for collecting, producing, trading
and utilisation of wild plant seeds
Create …
- trademark(s) to assure the defined quality standards
- mechanisms to control it and to impose sanctions
Adjust …
- laws to open a legal production and growing markets
II. EU-Quality standards – NEXT STEPS
We begin to deal with the topic in the Salvere Project
and try to find common definitions and do some research work,
but we need more information from partners in other European
countries to accelerate the process and to create a network.
Please get in contact with us:
www.rieger-hofmann.de
www-natur-im-vww.de
www.salvereproject.eu
Thank you for your attention
Don‘t hesitate to ask questions!
I. Farming native seeds – HOW TO DO IT?!
COLLECTION IN NATURAL HABITATS:
- Getting a permission from local nature conservation authorities
to collect the wild seeds in the different regions of origin
- Knowing where to find the natural habitats and be there at
the right time, when seeds are mature but have not fallen out yet
REPRODUCTION ON FARMLAND:
- investments in specific machines and equipement
- taking care of the cultures (weed control, harvesting time)
- special know how necessary for each species in cultuivation,
… often only achievable by trial and error or experience exchange
between the farmers
- be prepared to very variable harvests each year