More than wheat - the market potential of currently underutilised cereal crops

Summary

Diversity in arable production across Europe has been on the decline, with only a few varieties of common wheat, maize and barley accounting formore than85% of the cereals produced in the EU-28in 2015. The focus on only a few crops has shown to increase the risk of production loss due to pests and diseases.We conducted case studies of regional market initiatives in fourcountries to understand the success factors as well as challenges faced by initiatives aiming to increase cereal diversity and promote minor cereal crops. The four initiatives studied were involved with the production and trade of rye, oats, spelt, emmer and einkorn. The major success factors for these initiatives was the niche marketing approach used combined withthe skills and expertise of those involved as well as the knowledge and a network of external actors. These assets allowedthe initiatives to organise a niche market and buildup long lasting relationships all the actors, invest inareliable market planning and focus on consumer trends and needs. The major limitations for the development of the supply chains included the lack ofadapted processing technologyand infrastructure as well as restricted accessto seeds. The examples described here help to increase the diversity ofEuropeancereal production.