The landraces of Lemnos become a game at the Bovoleteio Kindergarten of Myrina

“In the very old days, around 10,000 BC, as people were gathering their food, they started learning when plants grew and bore fruit, and so they started to select the seeds and cultivate them.

So, people gradually began to domesticate the plants and went from being gatherers to farmers. Over the years, as farmers selected the best plants and with the help of nature, a great variety of fruits, cereals and vegetables was created!

So, we find ourselves today with the traditional varieties of Lemnos that we need to safeguard and utilize”.

The children at the Bovoleteio kindergarten in Myrina had the opportunity, through a short story, to learn from MedINA’s agronomist Danae Sfakianou, when people first began to cultivate the land and select seeds from the best plants for their next sowings, how we arrived at the current form of wheat from Aegilops, and how today these traditional varieties are in danger of extinction, due to the use of modern, commercial varieties. However, the characteristic flavour of the local varieties, their resilience and all their valuable genetic material is being lost. Furthermore, some modern varieties do not give seeds for the following year, or their seeds have no germination capacity.

The children understood how valuable the traditional varieties of our land are by observing the seeds of each of them. Through the game, they learned about the agricultural cycle of landraces, placing them on the map of Lemnos depending on the season and the area where they are cultivated, while they chose their own seeds to plant at home.

They also listened with keen attention to MedINA’s folklorist, Rafael Giannelis, learning about local customs related to the landraces performed by the farmers to honour the land and its gifts.

This very special activity concluded the educational part of the LEMRACE project.

We would like to thank the school principal, Ms. Marina Rallis, and the kindergarten teachers for their excellent collaboration, their contribution and hospitality.

The project “LEMRACE – Conservation of the crop genetic wealth of Lemnos: local varieties for sustainable development of the Lemnian food system” is implemented by the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA) and the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources of ELGO-DEMETER, and is funded by the Green Fund.