This document discusses strategies for preserving valuable rural genetic resources through small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) networks. It addresses the tension between global markets dominated by large corporations focused on efficiency and local markets centered around SMEs and cultural heritage. The author proposes a strategic approach that emphasizes regional innovation, niche markets for locally-sourced products, and strengthening local institutions to support ecosystem services and biodiversity through sustainable use of genetic resources. Examples are provided on assessing innovative eco-design products to connect consumers to threatened native breeds and plants in a culturally and environmentally responsible way.

1. Sirpa Kurppa, prof.
MTT Agrifood Research Finland,
Biotechnology and Food Research, Food Processes,
Sustainable Bioeconomy
“Innovative strategic approach for
preservation and SME network exploitation
of valuable rural genetic resources”

2. • Valuable rural genetic resources
1. Ecosystem services
• Strategic approach
2. Global market – large enterprises - exploitation
3. Local market – SMEs - exploitation
4. Strategic messages – preservation
5. Eco-design
6. Innovative? example on a eco-design
• SME network
7. Network – cluster innovations

3. Valuable rural genetic resources - ecosystem
services
1

4. In the Millennium report, adaptive mosaic was selected as
the most promising alternative to enhance protection of
ecosystem services – valuable genetic resources form
pricipal basis for adaptive mosaic.
• Global Orchestration Globally connected society that focuses on global trade
and economic liberalization and takes a reactive approach to ecosystem
problems but that also takes strong steps to reduce poverty and inequality and
to invest in public goods such as infrastructure and education.
Order from Strength
Regionalized and
fragmented world,
concerned with security
and protection,
emphasizing primarily
regional markets, paying
little attention to public
goods, and taking a
reactive approach to
ecosystem problems.
• Adapting Mosaic Regional watershed-scale
ecosystems are the focus of political and
economic activity. Local institutions are
strengthened and local ecosystem management
strategies are common; societies develop a
strongly proactive approach to the management
of ecosystems.
TechnoGarden Globally connected world relying
strongly on environmentally sound technology, using
highly managed, often engineered, ecosystems to
deliver ecosystem services, and taking a proactive
approach to the management of ecosystems in an
effort to avoid problems.
1

5. Valuable
genetic
resources
belong to
direct drivers
of change
regarding to
ecosystem
services
1

6. The present
impacts on
biodiversity
= impacts on
valuable
genetic
resources
1

7. The stated and potential trends in
undernourishment and food price.
?
?
1

8. The requirements to protect
ecosystem services and keep
them operative
• optimization of sustainable use of
those services
• focus on regional innovation and
• aim to regionally originating niche
markets.
This could be regarded as the regional
CSR.
→ holistic approach becomes a
necessity
→ approach to ecological scale
→ support of innovations
 We should take the challenge to
cope with nature and approach
the regional CSR strategy as an
alternative to globalizing
markets
1

9. Polycentric value of
genetic resources
2

10. The global market
• free movement of materials
• and money
• economically optimized efficiency of production and supply
→ global circulation of food and feed raw material and products
→ processing of food and feed raw material to transportable
components; example dairy products from NZ
→ centralization investments
→ larger units for production and consumption
→ urbanization
→ use of centralized catering services, ready-to-eat meals and
snacks
→ economic scale completely out of ecological scale and social
understanding
2

11. More specifically, the present major trend in
global food market is an increase of food
consumption that not necessarily improved
welfare.
• throughout developing world (1961-2000): consumption
of vegetable oils tripled, consumption of foods from
animal source tripled, added caloric sweeteners
introduced to diet everywhere, consumption of fruits
increased by 70 %, consumed energy increased
between 30-100%, vegetable intakes remained steady,
cereal products are being displaced (fat-sugar-energy)
→obesogenic shift is strong
→food intake data suggests that adverse shifts in dietary
composition are taking place at a much higher speed
than potentially beneficial changes.
2

12. Simultaneously, food supply is being
centralized into hands of global companies
that focus on globally accepted growing
plants and cultivars (genetic resources).
FAO: Asian agriculture is on an irreversible path leading away from its
traditional pre-occupation with cereal crop production, especially rice,
towards a production system that is becoming increasingly commercialized
and diversified. Paths:
 income induced diet diversification
 diet globalization and westernization
 severing of the link between diets and the local availability of resources and
local habits
 The need for increasing the productivity of cereals is higher the greater the
diversion of high potential irrigated lands to non-cereal pursuits.
Vandana Shiva (2004) ”Biodiversity is being rapidly eroded and food, the very
source of health and nutrition has become a major source of health hazards
caused by toxic chemicals in factory farming and new genetically
engineered foods and crops.”
2

13. Respecting of a local culture or heritage is not a
feature that is commonly included into CSR of
globalizing companies.
That means
→narrowing of a raw material base of final products
→moving towards monocultures and
→narrowing a base for culture, economic life, rural
landscape and biodiversity,
and with competition results
→into narrowing of supply and increase of price.
2

14. Use of land area – impact on
biodiversity – protection of genetic
resources – availability of resources
available to exploitation
• Biodiversity – genetic resource is the dynamic
component that is directly linked to
multifunctionality of human society, and impacts on
biodiversity are highly context specific.
• Context specificity could be turned into a
strength!
3

15. The choice is in the consumers, the power is in food
trading companies and impacts will be seen in
surrounding growing and living environment and,
indirectly, in welfare of consumers.
• Lean
manufacturing,
comparable to
(3), does work
for car
manufacturing
but doesn’t
work for food
economy!
Just-in-space
Just-on-time
Just-in-case
MATERIAL
SERVICE
1)
3)
2)
3

16. In terms of
industrial
ecology
3

17. PROCESS BASED SUSTAINABILITY,
NOVEL, PROTECTIVE, MINIMAL RESOURCE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
INTERACTIVITY, NEW GOVERNENCE
SOCIETY LEVEL SUSTAINNABILITY (culture)
REGIONAL SUSTAINNABILITY (food shed)
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION CHAIN MANAGEMENT
NOVEL PRODUCTS
Institutional innovation
Pyramid of
sustainable
approach
3

18. Innovation…..Why difficult?
3

19. Value based approach
3

20. R&D
approach
3

21. Shift to
successful
innovation
3

22. Roadmap to eco-innovation
3

23. Operative framework of innovation
3

24. Operative paths and activities
3

25. indicators
3

26. indicators
Monitoring the success
3

27. Naturalness –
message to the society
4

28. message to the society
4

29. Message
farmers
4

30. Message
farmers
4

31. Message to/from
consumers
4

32. Message to/from
consumers
4

33. The overall aim of the research on native
animal breeds and native plants
• To explore the economic, social and cultural basis for
developing activities, to increase the market value of
native breed products and for developing policy
measures and incentives for these activities.
• Use it or loose it
5

34. Key questions of the novel eco-design
• How could the concept of native biodiversity be related to design?
• What could be the design for sustainability based on the resources of
native breeds and plants?
• Who is the customer and what could be the market?
• What is the role and potential of these types of products in rural
innovation?
• In which type of economic structures could these innovators be
empowered and production developed, in local or interregional scale?
• How could we take responsibility of rural biodiversity conservation thru
supporting and consuming high value added products?
5

35. A consumer panel for assessing a novel wool
eco-product
Key remarks:
• Texture of the product
• How it feels to touch?
• Origin of the products, is there a real/proper connectedness to originality,
what means the threatened native breed?
• Are the plant pigments sustainable?
• Price of the product?
• Producer of the product, rural SME?
• Where to buy and what for to whom?
• Requirements for the quality are high.
• If high technical quality and original design the price (100 €) is not an
obstacle for buying
5

36. Nature of visual, tangible and original value
based design
• 1) Unity – variety – visual/tangible
• 2) Grouping – visual/tangible
• 3) Rhythm – pattern – visual/tangible
• 4) Connection – visual/tangible – original value
• 5) Contrast – visual/tangible – original value
• 6) Context & scale (placement, proportion and meaning) – original value
Faimon, P. & Weigand, J. 2004. The Nature of Design – From Graphics and Architecture to Interiors and Products.
5

37. What is design?
A plan for arranging elements in such a way as
to best accomplish a particular purpose.
-Charles Eames
Graphic design and values
Graphic design and sustainability
Graphic design and customers
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46. Assessment of the result on the way
First comments:
+ great unity
+ traditional and yet modern
+ layout and pictures are good
+ visual, good colours
+ fits with the product and it´s background
+ interesting
- trademarks..?
- text..?
- details…?
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48. 7
From: Doctoral
dissertation of Minna
Mikkola to University
of Helsinki
To be presented on
the 8th April 2011

49. My sincere
thanks !