Tasting Grounds: Agrobiodiversity Within Local Food SystemsMaria Jose Castañeda Valbuena, Emma Kaufmann LaDuc, Xiang Lin, and Nabila Larasati Pranoto

Global agriculture faces challenges such as biodiversity loss and genetic erosion, resulting in the dominance of uniform, high-yielding varieties. Preserving agrobiodiversity is crucial for resilience in the face of ecological crises. Currently, some practices are challenging the established food system, involving the community in the ownership and cultivation of genetic resources.

The intrinsically heterogeneous landscapes of the Midheights sustain both historic and innovative agro-ecological practices, read as biodynamic cultural landscapes. Here, amidst a global loss of genetic resources, we find patches of the past retaining fragments of traditional cultivation of local varieties. Among these sites of landscape heritage is the town of Mettmenstetten: a rich ground for seeding change.

Mettmenstetten, has a particular landscape of drumlins which supports a rich diversity of landscape ecotypes. The various ecotypes offer great potential for a diverse agriculture and its resilient ecologies. As a protected landscape, its agricultural transformation must essentially maintain its characteristic heritage.

Mettmenstetten's landscape and its pioneers showcase the potential for agro-ecological initiatives in a diverse cultural environment. Tasting Grounds aims to cultivate resilience and disrupt the conventional food system by combining social initiatives and a deep understanding of the unique landscape.