To support home gardeners under different ways. To make a plan for short-term preservation /up to 5 yrs/, seed exchange of local varieties with good taste among interested gardeners, small and large-scale farmers. An integration of minority groups who have an interest about the topic, students, unemployed people at the village/town, through setting up vocational training for gardeners. Establishment of Heritage Seed Library.

Southeastern Bulgaria; Central Northern Bulgaria; Central Southern Bulgaria

The carried out by the team expeditions and previous studies show that there are differences in protecting the agrobiodiversity in indicated from us regions. The limited growing of seeds, pods, cuttings, the abandonment of most of the local varieties is due to the village depopulation, as well as from the difficulties to store these at home. Another important reason is more challenging transportability and impermanence of the produce while storaging. The sustainable conservation of crops diversity, varieties, forms and populations and their seed store would be possible through inclusion of wide range participants at local and regional level and seeking for cooperation from the state institutions.

The intertwining of agricultural and cultural heritage give a chance to every village/small town and region to leave its unqiue features to seed varieties in Bulgaria. The Covid-19 pandemic provoked many people to expand the diversity of species and varieties at their home gardens. Some started to grow vegetables and edible species, instead of plants and lawns. We suggest creating a core of gardeners from different regions of Bulgaria, who grow old plant resources, so as to pass their experience on beginner gardeners, students, youth and unemployed from different ethnic groups. Maintenance of seeds, cuttings, pods bred at home with the establishment of Heritage Seed Library on site.

Route creation in accordance with the existing agrobiodiversity to update data, collected from previous studies. To prepare an information letter and to carry out expeditions, questionnaires, interviews. To establish groups on the spot to liaise with local farmers, gardeners, mayors, NGOs, scientists to achieve the project goals. Classification of home gardens depending on the type of settlement - village/town/ neighborhood. To print out files, brochures, fliers with information about recently grown old and local varieties, forms and populations, typical for the area, as well as the names of people who store them.

Existence of informational database for agrobiodiversity of varieties, populations, forms etc. in home gardens by regions and access to stakeholders. Proposal to build up a short-term storage seed depot from 3 yrs up to 5 yrs., depending on the crop. To create concept for storage of seeds, pods, cuttings and their setting up at seed depot -seeds drowers with separate spaces, refrigerators in the areas (mention in the project) . To establish mobile groups on a spot to carry out interaction between producers for organization of special events and farmers markets, expositions, tastings of local produce. To start a pilot network of home gardens with the existing crop diversity and coordinators, volunteers on site.

The traditional crops and old Bulgarian varieties have a good taste. Although lower in yield and have limited durability, comparing to commercial ones, they are valued for the health benefits and provide quality food to the families who have preserved the sentiment of country's traditional taste.
There are no legal documents in Bulgaria for encouragement, neither a financial support to small-scale horticulture, for maintain and distribution old and local varieties. Development of regulations and seeds exchange between local people, farmers, etc., not only in the settlement, but for wide-scale consumption. To create conditions for making sufficient amounts of seed quantities from the preserved traditional varieties and to be stored long-term in the National Gene Bank.

The preservation and storage over the years of the old varieties and forms is tightly related to their traditional use, traditions, dialect, family celebrations, religious traditions at regional as well at national level. They are at the core of agrobiodiversity. The old local forms, populations and varieties are the most at risk of extinction. On the other hand, the maintained seed plant genetic resources at the home gardens could be defined as the most diverse by phenotype and are adapted to the environmental conditions at the regions where they are grown. Very likely they have low, but stable yield.

Personnel costs etc.- 3000EUR
Travel and accommodation costs - 3500 EUR
Costs for materials, consumables and other eligible costs - 5500 EUR
Costs for administrative service of the project by the applying organization and partner organizations - 1500EUR,
Public relations 1500 EUR,