News and Events
COUSIN at the 194th EAAE Seminar!
On 9 September 2026, COUSIN participated in the Pre-Conference Project Side Events of the 194th Seminar of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE), hosted at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (CIHEAM MAICh), Crete, Greece. Three...
Mission to Wageningen University & Research and stakeholder engagement activities
During July 2026, Prof. Ferdinando Branca, Prof. of Vegetable and Flower Crops at the Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A) of the University of Catania, met on the 13th of July at the NPEC with Dr. Rick van Zedde, for visiting the phenotyping...
Unlocking wild plant genetics to develop climate-resilient, disease-resistant wheat. Updates from the wheat working group
To secure the future of global wheat production against the growing threats of climate change and evolving agricultural diseases, researchers at HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (ATK) have announced significant breakthroughs in crop wild relative (CWR)...
COUSIN at AgroSemana 2026 with Universidade Católica Portuguesa
On 5 September 2026, COUSIN Partner Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) participated in AgroSemana 2026 – Feira Agrícola do Norte, held at Espaço AGROS in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. Through a dedicated stand, UCP presented several ongoing projects contributing to...
D2.1 – Distribution of Crop Wild Relatives in Europe and future perspectives
D2.1 COUSINDownload D2.1 COUSIN - AnnexDownload
Conserving CWRs in situ across Europe: genetic reserves on the way!
COUSIN WP2 partners Rete Semi Rurali and Università degli Studi di Catania (Italy), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Asociación Aprisco (Spain), Federal Office for Agriculture and University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos...
COUSIN Project at IHC2026 in Kyoto, Japan
The COUSIN Project was presented at @The 32nd International Horticultural Congress (IHC2026) in Kyoto, providing an important opportunity to disseminate project activities and research results to the international horticultural community. The research group from the...
Crop Wild Relatives featured in the Spanish agroecological magazine “Revista Agroecológica de Divulgación”
An article on Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) has been published in the latest issue of the Spanish Revista Agroecológica de Divulgación, with a mention of COUSIN project. Written by Eliza Pizarro Carbonell (APRISCO) and published in the Summer Issue (No. 63), in the Plant...
2: Flagship crops: Brassica – From Wild Relatives to Future Crops
The COUSIN project video, Flagship Crop – Brassica: From Wild Relatives to Future Crops, demonstrates how crop wild relatives can strengthen Brassica crops by improving their resilience, sustainability, and nutritional value, contributing to more resilient,...
1: From Wild Diversity to Resilient Agriculture: 2.5 Years of Progress and Impact
The COUSIN project is helping strengthen Europe's food system by conserving and promoting the use of crop wild relatives (CWRs) to support the development of more resilient and sustainable crops. By unlocking the potential of these wild species, the project...
20 – Benefits of Crop Wild Relatives in-situ conservation to ruralcommunities – CWRs as a key player for active, innovative and outdoor rural education
The conservation ofCWRs is closely linked to rural communities, where land use change and rural depopulation can threaten in situ populations. The COUSIN Project demonstrates how participatory education initiatives between researchers and rural schools can raise awareness of CWR value, foster co-creation of learning activities, and strengthen the connection between biodiversity conservation and local communities.
19 – Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) for Crop Wild Relatives – Standardizing CWRs identification globally
The transfer of CWRs between institutions is often hindered by inconsistent local identifiers, limiting traceability and data sharing. The COUSIN Project highlights the FAO Global Information System (GLIS) and its Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system as a solution for creating permanent, interoperable identifiers that link CWR material to its associated data across conservation and breeding networks.
18 – Crop Wild Relatives descriptors – How to describe and document CWRs conserved in situ
The effective conservation and use of CWRs requires not only protection in their natural habitats but also standardized data systems for documenting their in situ populations. The COUSIN Project highlights key international and European descriptor frameworks, supporting harmonised recording of CWR populations to ensure data compatibility, traceability, and integration across conservation and breeding databases.
17 – Collecting Crop Wild Relatives, legal aspect – Navigating EU and International legal frameworks for CWRs collection and exchange
The conservation and collection CWRs are increasingly important for sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, but are governed by complex legal frameworks. The COUSIN Project provides an overview of international and EU regulations, including access and benefit-sharing requirements, supporting compliant and responsible use of CWR genetic resources in research and breeding.