Crop Cousins, promise for the future
COUSIN is the European Union-funded project on the use and conservation of wild species for more sustainable, resilient and nutritionally valuable agriculture
Latest News
Art and CWrS at the event organized by Aprisco
On the 26th, the Cousin's partner Aprisco will be holding an event on Crop Wild Relatives in collaboration with the art space ‘Casa Liverata’ in Villanueva de la Vera. The event will bring together artists and the general public (including families with children)...
Development of Advanced Pea Breeding Lines with Improved Resistance to Ascochyta Blight
On March 25th, the scientific journal Agriculture published an article written by Manuel Alejandro Jiménez-Vaquero, María José Cobos, Carmen María Ruiz-Pastor, and Diego Rubiales entitled "Development of Advanced Pea Breeding Lines with Improved Resistance to...
Building crop resilience using prickly lettuce, a wild relative of lettuce
Environmental pressures and limited natural resources are forcing agriculture to produce higher yields while using less water and fertilizer. Although lettuce has been extensively bred for taste, texture, and yield, this process has left it vulnerable to nutrient...
Discovering Crop Wild Relatives with COUSIN video scribing
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The journey of plant domestication
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The importance of Crop Wild Reltives
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The characterization of Crop Wild Relatives unveiled
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The use of Crop Wild Relatives in breeding
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The Crop Wild Relatives Conservation Strategies explained
CWRs, a promise for the future
Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) are often seen as the COUSINs of domesticated crops given their close kinship and their role as important sources of natural genetic variation. In this sense they represent a valuable resource for the urgently required agroecological transition. Such a transition results in more diverse, sustainable and nutritious food, in line with the EU Green Deal policy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, CWRs can be important allies. In fact, currently 75% of the world’s food is generated from only twelve plant species and since the 1900s, some 75% of plant genetic diversity has been lost as farmers worldwide have left their diverse set of local varieties and landraces for genetically uniform, high-yielding varieties. From this perspective, Crop Cousins are a promise for the future.
Cousin’s brochure contains the description and goals of the project. It is available in multiple languages, download the one you prefer and share it!
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