Origin, Diversity and Territories Forum 2022

19-20-21 october – Saignelégier, Jura Suizo

Link to the concept note

The Forum “Origin, Diversity and Territories” is an internationaplatform on the interactions between cultural and biological diversities and the sustainable territorial valorisation of products and services whose quality is linked to their origin.

The ODT Forum 2022 aims to open up arenas for debate on the issue of global ecosystem health, policy solutions for sustainable transition at different territorial scales and the future roles of food systems.

From Diversity & Development, we have been especially involved in the preparation and coordination of the third workshop “OneHealth”. 

The ODT Forum community will gather around these themes in the town of Saignelégier, in the heart of the canton of Jura in Switzerland. Saignelégier is the capital of the Franches-Montagnes plateau, a mountainous area located at an altitude of over 1000 m on a karst plateau, characterised by agricultural activities that shape the landscape and interfere with the natural environment of permanent pastures and woodlands. The Franches-Montagnes are a land of deep agricultural, food and gastronomic traditions, internationally recognised, and watchmaking know-how classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

The “International Mountain Conference” will open this year’s ODT Forum, with ten field visits in the morning and a plenary session in the afternoon. The objective of this international mountain conference is to give the floor to personalities from all continents to bring a global perspective to the functioning of localised agri-food systems and the innovative approaches developed by mountain communities in the face of the climate crisis.

The following two days of the ODT Forum will address the theme in 5 workshops with complementary angles: 

1. A first workshop will focus on the impacts of differentiation strategies on the sustainability and resilience of territories to climate change. It will be a place to share and discuss sustainability and agroecology assessment work applied to GI chains and other quality signs or differentiation approaches.
2. A second workshop will focus on research on mountain territories, particularly affected by climate change. This workshop will discuss, among other things, the technological and governance tools to be implemented to develop new localised economies and make mountain regions attractive.
3. A third workshop will bring together researchers, experts and practitioners on the theme of “OneHealth” global health of ecosystems, animals and human populations and strategies to restore or improve it. From Diversity & Development, we have been especially involved in the preparation and coordination of this workshop.
4. A fourth workshop will take stock of the resilience strategies of territories focused on the search for food sovereignty, sometimes to achieve food autonomy. The workshop will address the challenges, constraints and opportunities related to the relocation of production, consumption trends and the transition to a responsible diet.
5. A final workshop will focus on the role of public policies in the agro-ecological transition of territories in the global context, focusing on soil in climate policy and the need to better connect agricultural policy, including quality signs with rural development policy.