The dominant state-driven transition in agricultural modernisation promotes the replacement of old knowledge/varieties for modern ones as they do not fit with productive and efficient industrial agriculture. They are dubbed as "backwarded". Stringent legal frameworks (IP rights & safety regulations) and political (dis)incentives are geared to replace open local landraces by modern patent-restricted varieties. And yet, there are alternative transition pathways where citizens reclaim a different and more sustainable, open-source agriculture, meaningful landscapes and communal practices that reinforce connectedness, social and economic benefits, and pleasure in doing things with others. And heirloom seeds fit well in that narrative. Studying in detail the motivations and food and seed values of participants in four case studies or agro-biodiversity conservation (UK, Belgium, Slovenia and Germany), this research shows that non-economic motivations related to "old" are still quite relevant (heritage, tradition, ancestors, heirloom, etc). There are diverse pathways to preserve agro-biodiversity by combining economic and Non-economic policy beliefs. And different non-economic Policy Beliefs are meaningful in different contexts for the same resource.

1. Heirloom value as relevant policy belief
for agro-biodiversity initiatives
Jose Luis Vivero Pol, UCL

2. Dominant state-driven transition to get rid of old
knowledge/varieties (backwardness) as they
didn´t fit with modernization of agriculture.
Stringent legal frameworks (IP rights & safety
regulations) + political (dis)incentives replaced
open local landraces by modern patent-
restricted varieties.
Alternative transition: citizens/state-driven to
reclaim the commons, sustainable agriculture,
meaningful landscapes & communal practices
that reinforce connectedness, social & economic
benefits & pleasure in doing things with others.
Agro-biodiversity
Transitions

3. Commonalities: successful pathbreakers (going beyond expectations), re-value old
varieties (seeds + knowledge + techniques + landscape), strong quest for heirloom,
community-spirit.
Agro-biodiversity is
disappearing in Europe
Drivers
• LEGAL: stringent seed laws, patent
rights, food safety regulations
• POLITICAL: former CAP goals
(uprooting old olive trees & grapes)
• SOCIO-TECHNICAL TRANSITIONS
(GMOs, homogenization of industrial
agriculture)
• CONSTRUCTED CONSUMER
PREFERENCES (advertising, prices)
1. WALLOON FRUIT NETWORK (BEL):
collective action to preserve old fruit
varieties through in-situ orchards
2. DRESCHFLEGEL INITIATIVE (GER):
preservation through valorisation of old
crop varieties
3. KOZJANSKO APPLE INITIATIVE (SLO):
preservation/valorisation of ancient
orchards in National Park
4. HAY TIME PROJECT (UK):
landscape restoration with local seeds in
National Park
Differences: economic/non-economic orientation at initial stage, monetised & non-
monetised incentives, state-led/collective actions, development stage, different evolution
of policy beliefs (PB), current co-existence of important economic/non-economic PB

4. 1.- Different non-economic PB for
the same resource are meaningful:
UK: landscape aesthetics + place
attachment
SLO: connectedness + local pride
BEL: curiosity/learning + future
generations
GER: beauty + pleasure in doing
things with others
2.- There are diverse pathways to
preserve agro-biodiversity by
combining ECO/Non-ECO PB
Even using PB that are NOT driven
by biodiversity itself (i.e. cultural
heritage, place attachment, local
pride, conviviality).

5. 3.- Non-ECO PB associated to OLDNESS
(heritage, heirloom) are consistently
relevant (seeds, landscapes, knowledge)
4.- Non-ECO PB (optional value, cultural
value, intrinsic value, heirloom value)
equally important than ECO PB
5.- Non-ECO PB on agro-biodiversity are
powerful drivers although not effective
alone, particularly when local livelihoods
are dependent from natural resources.
6.- Different members of same initiative
hold different PB. Both can co-exist if
profit maximization is not hegemonic.
7.- Differentiated policies for different
development stages:
If non-ECO PB prevail at initial stages,
ECO PB arise as long as initiative
evolves/scales up/enlarges/gets more
complex. And VICEVERSA, ending
normally with a COMPLEX MIX OF BOTH.