Italia-Croatia

Introduction to VERA project and its outputs

The VERA project aims to preserve agricultural biodiversity in Italy and Croatia by protecting ancient fruit tree varieties and promoting sustainable farming practices. Through activities like joint training, research, digitalization, and educational workshops, VERA engages local farmers, students, and communities to raise awareness of traditional agriculture's value.

The main project's outputs are:

• A joint cross-border training scheme on agricultural biodiversity;

• Cross-border pilot exchange and transplant of figs samplings;

• Pilot actions to engage the local community and raise awareness on biodiversity.

Connect young people and children with biodiversity and organic farming

The project placed particular emphasis on young people and children, aiming to engage them in the importance of biodiversity conservation and the preservation of local natural heritage. To achieve this goal, the partners actively worked on the development and implementation of aducational activities targeted at high school students, both local and cross-border, alongside the creation of a comprehensive educational program for pupils. 

By integrating formal education with experential learning, the project aimed to empower young people with the knowledge and skills needed to become stewards of biodiversity, ensuring the project's objectives continue to inspire environmental responsibility among future generations.

Video clips from the joint cross-border training

A series of video clips highlights the days spent in Dalmatia and Molise by Italian and Croatian students, filled with laughter, new friendships, and a deep connection to nature.

Introducing new biodiversity, one fig at a time

The project partners, Permaculture Dalmatia and ‘I Giardini di Pomona,’ actively participated in an exchange and transplantation initiative involving ancient varieties of Ficus carica from their respective local biodiversities.

As part of this activity, five traditional fig varieties from Croatia and five from Italy were exchanged, introducing new biodiversity to each region.

The attached reports provide a detailed analysis of the identified fig varieties, supporting the planned exchange and facilitating the implementation of planting and cultivation strategies outlined in the project application. The first report focuses on the identification of the 10 Ficus carica varieties, describing the characteristics of each fig and their versatility. Following this, the second report focuses on the production, exchnage, and trial cultivation of fig saplings, which began between November and December 2024. The third report present the data collected up to the moment of trial cultivation and outlines the next steps required to analyze the plant's behavior in the two different geographical areas. 

Figs of Legacy - Educational album on fig varieties

Created by "I Giardini di Pomona", with the support of Permaculture Dalmatia, the album showcases ten carefully selected fig varieties - five from Puglia and five from Dalmatia - part of the cross-border transplant initiative.

Through stunning images and rich historical insights, this document provides an in-depth look at each fig variety, detailing its botanical characteristics, cultural significance, and role in local agricultural traditions. Additionally, it serves as a call to action for biodiversity conservation and the preservation of traditional fruit species in response to modern environmental challenges. 

How to digitize biodiversity

The digitization of a significant portion of the fig collection carefully preserved at I Giardini di Pomona represents an important achievement of the VERA project. This initiative ensures greater accessibility to the collection for educational, research, and conservation purposes. By leveraging modern technology, it aims to protect the genetic material of several fig varieties from extinction while facilitating knowledge-sharing among farmers, researchers, and general public.

The provided link directs users to I Giardini di Pomona's website, specifically to the section where the digital catalog is available. This catalog features 139 preserved cultivars, arranged in alphabetical order. Each detailed sheet provides essential information on the different fig varieties housed in the Botanical Conservatory of Paolo Belloni, offering visitors a virtual journey through its rich biodiversity.