Origin Roots

Taking advantage of the great biodiversity of Epirus and Central Greece, as well as the particular social characteristics and cooperative traditions of the regions, many producers have turned to polyculture models and innovative networks for the direct sale of their products. These practices constitute socially and environmentally sustainable ecosystems that produce high quality products, consume very limited resources and at the same time create social capital. The benefits are multiple compared to monoculture models which (even in the case of organic farming) consume many resources (water, energy, etc.) and require large quantities of fertilisers and pesticides.
Unlike monocultures, however, which follow standardised farming methods and standardised certification standards (see organic certification), polyculture ecosystems do not have standardised certification standards. The diversity and specific characteristics of each ecosystem are difficult to certify according to existing standards. As a result, the value of the products produced and the wider benefits are not recorded and captured and the consumer is unaware of them.
The project has developed the "Origin Roots" toolkit to help producers capture all the data and information related to these particular quality attributes and all the associated environmental and social benefits.