ROTATES

Minor Root and Tuber Crops fostering Agrobiodiversity and Ecosystem Services

ROTATES is a European research and innovation project that aims to boost agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services by introducing and promoting underutilized root and tuber crops (sweet potato, yams, cassava, and taro) into both conventional and organic farming systems across Europe.

These minor starchy crops, currently overlooked in European agriculture, hold great potential in temperate regions to meet the growing demand for healthy but also sustainable food.

An illustration showing three people engaged in agricultural activities, with one person planting, another observing with a notebook, and a third person reading. The image is divided into sections displaying various plants and crops, including sweet potatoes and beans, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and clouds.

Our objectives

Bringing Growth To Agriculture

An illustration depicting a magnifying glass with a checkmark, a document with lines, and a carrot, symbolizing research and verification related to agriculture or food.

Diagnose barriers and opportunities for Minor Root and Tuber crop adoption

Illustration depicting the growth process of a plant, showing a plant with roots on the left and a plant emerging from a brown seed or bulb on the right, with an arrow indicating growth progression.

Develop agroecological practices, to improve soil health and biodiversity while ensuring productivity.

A green plant seedling with roots next to a blue laboratory flask containing three atoms.

Establish breeding hubs and a clean seed system to secure high-quality, adapted crop varieties.

Two hands holding a small plant against a blue circular background

Create innovative food and feed products, while using crop residues to feed livestock

A cartoon-style illustration of a person wearing a straw hat and overalls, holding a small plant with leaves.

Support farmers and value chain actors to understand and to facilitate the uptake and sustainable use of MRT crops

A collage of four types of tropical plants: Taro, Sweet Potato, Cassava, and Yam, each displayed with their respective labels in bold white text against a contrasting background.

Rooted in Collaboration

What if the key to a more resilient future is hidden beneath our feet?

Cassava, yam, taro, sweet potato: once overlooked, now unstoppable.

ROTATES is a powerhouse consortium driving agrobiodiversity forward, connecting farmers, researchers, processors, and consumers to shake up European agriculture and root resilience into the food system.

Partners