Applicant:
Union of Cypriot Farmers — Community Seed Bank
Department of Agriculture — Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
Agricultural Research Institute
Date of inscription:
2020
Brief description:
From antiquity to the recent past, agriculture was the most important sector of economic activity of Cypriots, inextricably linked to the lifestyle, diet and customs of the island’s inhabitants. The main crops of Cypriot agriculture that have remained the same over centuries are cereals, vines, olive trees, carob trees, vegetables, potatoes and citrus fruits. Since the emergence of the art of agriculture and plant cultivation in Cyprus, its inhabitants started to select the genetic material (local traditional varieties) to be cultivated. This selection was a dynamic process which evolved and continues to evolve to this day through the interaction between the rich biodiversity of the island and the soil and climatic conditions of each region, as well as through cross breeding with varieties brought from other countries through trade.