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On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Centre for National Biodiversity and Gene Conservation (NBGK), is launching the "Landrace and Livestock of the Year" awareness-raising initiative. This initiative aims to highlight the importance of agrobiodiversity and the conservation of unique and diverse genetic resources. Preserving these resources is not only crucial for biodiversity conservation but also a strategic issue for food security.
This year’s selected varieties are a Hungarian local fruit landrace, the twice-bearing pear, and the Pannonian bee. Beyond being valuable genetic resources that need protection, they are also closely connected through pollination. The initiative seeks to showcase that, in addition to the fruit and vegetable varieties commonly found on supermarket shelves, many locally adapted varieties still exist in Hungary. Although these varieties may have been forgotten in recent decades, they represent a significant value that we aim to reintroduce to the public.
As part of the initiative, informational posters, coloring pages for preschool and elementary school children, and other educational materials will be created about the twice-bearing pear and the Pannonian bee. These materials are available for download in electronic format here.