The ‘Fleurs Locales’ team carried out a journey of knowledge in November with the aim of recovering degraded spaces with native seeds. In this case, the discovery was twofold: on the one hand, a successful case, that of HEPIA, part of a Swiss university that has been working with native seeds for more than a decade; and, on the other hand, the trip allowed the different members to meet personally and exchange information, as this was the first face-to-face contact since the project started. Both aspects were more than satisfactory.

For three days, local ‘Fleurs’ professionals learned from HEPIA’s experience in selecting, planting and maintaining native seeds. The lessons learned were diverse, but among them were the importance of shared traceability in value chains, and having a shared methodology in the chain ranging, from harvesting to the sale of seeds.

In addition, the trip strengthened the commitment of ‘Fleurs Locales’ to work with large projects that ensure quantity and variety are available for small buyers.

The main conclusion is that the trip was a reminder to continue working with patience, because results are not immediate. In fact, the different technical working groups of ‘Fleurs Locales’ have integrated some of what they have learned into their practice, such as introducing species selection criteria based on restoration objectives and the need to include species that help non-botanical objectives.

How to generate added value
One of ‘Fleurs Locales’ great challenges is to bring the added value of these native seeds to market, to recover degraded spaces. The advice given by HEPIA includes the creation or support of joint brands and shared norms to unify efforts and criteria throughout the value chain, as well as to create alliances with social entities, as the consumer better identifies the resultant social benefits. Our Swiss colleagues, for example, collaborate in the production of indigenous seeds with a labour integration organization for vulnerable groups.