Bio-diversity

Further expand Foundation`s activity by introducing an ecological fruit tree nursery, the trees representing old varieties (apple-trees, cherry-trees), protect genetic resources of cultivated plants. The main stakeholders involved in the project are the inhabitants of BARKA s commune trying to bring back to life the collapsed farm at Chudobczyce and the scientists interested in expanding scope of endangered varieties of fruit trees conservation. The expectations from the BARKA s side are of economic and beyond-economic character. The economic expectations are based on plans of selling the seedlings (expected annual income ca. 24,000 PLN/ 6000 USD) and from selling apples from the orchard (ca. 20,000 PLN/ ca. 5000 USD annually) in about five years after the orchard s creation. The income generated by the orchard is expected to be further increased (doubled), if the fruits are sold processed, e.g. in form of jams. BARKA s activities regarding both the social issues and the agrobiodiversity conservation are now trespassing framework of the country s policy. There are lacking financial mechanisms supporting such initiatives as the BARKA s communes or supporting on farm conservation of cultivated plants traditional varieties. I that sense, the BARKA s SGP GEF-supported project which combine care for the rejected people and for rejected fruit trees varieties , is pioneering. SGP GEF helped BARKA to establish working contact with leading scientists from the field of agrobiodiversity conservation (Research Institute of Pomology & Floriculture at Radzikow and at Skierniewice). This co-operation resulted with very well prepared project s concept and very well written project proposal. The scientists from the field of agrobiodiversity conservation, who were involved in supervising the BARKA s project preparation and who will be involved in the implementation, expect that at Chudobczyce can be created example of successful on farm conservation of vanishing traditional forms of fruit trees and the BARKA s project will allow expanding range of available in Poland ways of protecting traditional fruit varieties by increasing numbers of institutions and individuals involved.

Poland