But what is agricultural biodiversity ? In a nutshell, it could be said that biodiversity of agricultural and food interest is an immense heritage, both in economic and historical-cultural terms, which needs to be safeguarded and promoted, but first of all known. Hence the idea of creating " BiodiversiThon 2021 ", a unique event of its kind: for the whole morning on the Facebook profile of Veneto Agricoltura there is a dense succession of interviews with experts, focuses, live links, video presentations, interventions by farmers and breeders, custodians, etc. dedicated to the themes of agricultural and food biodiversity in Veneto.
In practice, at the stroke of every hour, starting precisely from 8:00 , a different topic will be explored: the start will be given by "Buongiorno Biodiversity", an introductory space to present the Italian and regional situation in terms of conservation support. , the use and sustainable development of genetic resources in agriculture.
Following ( 9:00 am ), the point on the role of the Institutions in relation to agricultural biodiversity is on the agenda, starting with the National Law which since 2015 governs the sector through precise provisions for protection, conservation and enhancement; representatives of the institutional (Ministry, Region, Veneto Agriculture, etc.), scientific and academic (University, CREA, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Venezie, etc.) and political world (the intervention of the Regional Councilor is also foreseen) will intervene in this space Agriculture, Federico Caner).
At 10:00 the spotlight will turn on plant biodiversity, or on ancient varieties of fruit, vines, vegetables, cereals, etc. of Veneto. Links are foreseen with the research centers of Veneto Agriculture, again with CREA, some regional agricultural institutes.
At 11:00 the hour of animal biodiversity comes with a focus on Venetian livestock species at risk of extinction or for which we are working to increase the regional herd: from bovine (Burlina, Rendena, Grigia) to sheep and goat (Alpagota , Lamon, Brogna), from swine to equine. On this occasion, with the help of experts, we will talk about an ancient zootechnical world to be protected and safeguarded. At 12: 0 0, microbial biodiversity enters the scene, a very topical topic, coordinated by the experts of Veneto Agricoltura (Center for agri-food quality of Thiene, VI); among the guests the IZSV of Legnaro (Pd) and its Director Antonia Ricci. This space will also discuss the importance of epidemiological surveillance for conservation centers and custodian breeders as well as an interesting Interreg project on ferments that has yielded important results.
At 13:00 , connection with the Agriturismo "La Cascina" in Mestre (Ve), where the final rush of "BiodiversiThon 2021" will start with a series of focuses on the Food Communities and, more concretely, on the enhancement of biodiversity at the table. On the occasion, the agrichef Diego Scaramuzza (Terranostra national president) will present some dishes and raw materials of the territory, traditional and DOP / IGP, while the sommelier Gianpaolo Breda of AIS Veneto will illustrate the characteristics of seven wines produced from as many indigenous grape varieties.
In closing, BiodiversiThon will also celebrate World Bee Day , also scheduled for May 20th. With the experts Giustino Mezzalira and Paolo Fontana the indispensable functions of this insect for the balance and protection of the environment and its ecosystems, including the agricultural one, will be described and we can say praised (with videos and photos).
