Tasting Grounds: Agrobiodiversity Within Local Food SystemsMaria Jose Castañeda Valbuena, Emma Kaufmann LaDuc, Xiang Lin, and Nabila Larasati Pranoto
Within agro-ecological systems, the conservation of genetic diversity so vital to food security takes place fragmentarily throughout Switzerland. This occurs at the intersection of resistant landscapes and resilient practices. Where physical conditions resist the complete industrialisation of agriculture and social initiatives support unconventional economies, diverse food systems thrive.
Beginning with an understanding of agrobiodiversity in local food systems, we situate this knowledge in a self-defined typology of the mosaic midheights and in the case study of the village Mettmenstetten. We trace the network of production to consumption from the global to the local, challenging the conventional food supply chain through social initiatives. To conclude, we work with and within these niche landscapes and their socio-cultural systems to recontextualise the conservation of genetic diversity.