RETE SEMI RURALI

Their core work

Rete Semi Rurali (Italian for "Rural Seed Network") is an Italian civil society network dedicated to the conservation, exchange, and promotion of crop seed diversity, particularly traditional and locally-adapted varieties. They work at the intersection of seed policy advocacy, farmer-led seed systems, and organic agriculture, connecting small-scale farmers, seed savers, and researchers across Europe. Their practical work involves managing seed collections, facilitating participatory plant breeding, and building collective awareness around agrobiodiversity as a foundation for resilient local food systems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Rete Semi Rurali's H2020 participation spans 2015–2017 project starts, all clustering within a tight window rather than showing dramatic shifts. Their earliest project (DIVERSIFOOD, 2015) focused broadly on embedding crop diversity into local food systems, while their later projects (LIVESEED and DYNAVERSITY, both 2017) sharpened toward operational challenges: organic seed performance, breeding methods, and the governance of seed exchange networks. The trajectory shows a move from general agrobiodiversity advocacy toward concrete, systems-level solutions for making diverse seed supply chains work in practice.

Moving from diversity advocacy toward practical infrastructure for organic seed supply chains and farmer-managed genetic resources — a partner likely to contribute policy expertise and grassroots farmer networks to future seed sovereignty or organic transition projects.

How they like to work

RSR operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for civil society organizations that bring grassroots networks and policy expertise rather than project management capacity. With 93 unique partners across 24 countries from just 5 projects, they participate in large, multi-stakeholder consortia — averaging nearly 19 partners per project. This broad network and consistent participant role suggest they are a trusted go-to partner when consortia need a civil society voice with deep connections to farmer communities and seed practitioners.

With 93 unique consortium partners spanning 24 countries, RSR has built a remarkably wide European network for a small Italian NGO — reflecting the pan-European nature of seed diversity and organic agriculture policy debates. Their partnerships likely concentrate on Western and Southern European agricultural research institutions, farmer organizations, and universities.

What sets them apart

RSR occupies a rare niche as a civil society organization that bridges grassroots farmer seed networks with EU-level research consortia. Unlike universities or research institutes that study agrobiodiversity from the lab, RSR brings direct connections to the people actually growing, saving, and exchanging traditional seed varieties on the ground. For any consortium needing genuine farmer engagement, participatory approaches, or multi-actor dissemination in the seed and organic agriculture space, RSR provides credibility and reach that academic partners alone cannot deliver.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LIVESEED
  Largest funding (EUR 348,312) and most ambitious scope — improving organic agriculture performance through seed breeding efforts across Europe.
• DYNAVERSITY
  Directly aligned with RSR's core identity as a seed network, addressing the governance and dynamics of European seed diversity management.
• DIVERSIFOOD
  RSR's first H2020 project and second-largest budget, establishing their role in embedding crop diversity into local food systems.