PROJECTS

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are wild plant species genetically related to cultivated crops and serve as valuable sources of genetic diversity for crop improvement and long-term food security.

PRO-WILD ‘Protect and Promote Crop Wild Relatives’ is a Horizon Europe project aimed at protecting CWRs in their natural habitats (in-situ), conserving their genetic diversity in genebanks (ex-situ), and promoting their role in developing stronger, more resilient crops. In PRO-WILD, the focus is on wheat, sugar beet, and oilseed rape — three major crops in Europe, selected for their economic and agricultural importance. The project will catalog their beneficial traits, making them accessible to breeders and researchers to improve nutritional quality and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses.

PRO-WILD brings together 18 partners from 11 countries, combining expertise in various fields, and is co-funded by the European Union, UK Research and Innovation and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.

• Identify and protect conservation key areas for (in-situ) CWR conservation
• Survey existing CWRs in gene banks and assess their conservation status to fill critical gaps in (ex-situ) resources
• Broaden agricultural diversity by integrating valuable traits from CWR gene pools into cultivated crops.
• Promote understanding and appreciation of the importance of CWRs among stakeholders.