Iceland

National Coordinators
Kesara Margrét Jónsson
University of Iceland

The seventh international “Fascination of Plants Day” 2024 (FoPD 2024) will be launched by plant scientists across the world under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO).

The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture and sustainable production of nutritious food, as well as for horticulture, forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation is also a key message.

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Events organized in 2022
May 18
May 26
16:00
16:00
ERA-Net SusCrop VIDEO CONTEST
ERA-Net SusCrop VIDEO CONTEST
All
Indoor
handsonactivities

Be the director, leading actor/actress, camerman & producer of your own movie and win one of our cash prizes!

The ERA- Net SusCrop is launching a video contest to actively involve EVERYBODY from across the world to reflect, communicate and inspire on ‘what sustainable crop production means to you?’.

The competition is open to EVERYBODY and is supposed to activate multiple groups: school children, students, scientists, farmers/farmer-groups, and any person/group of random enthusiasts, artists (film, circus, music, digital/installation art, …), architects, social media/communication workers, etc.

KEYWORDS to inspire: sustainability, resilience, agriculture, forestry, ecology, crop production, crops, plants, science, nature, climate change, the future

However, we invite any kind of video: be original, think out-of-the-box! What does sustainability in the area of crop production mean to you? How should agriculture look like in the future? Do you practice sustainability procedures in growing crops or ornamental plants in your environment (e.g. your garden or balcony)?

More information on the different categories, prizes, eligibility conditions and selection criteria can be found on: https://www.suscrop.eu/video-contest-2022

We look forward to receiving your video!

 

Jul 29
Aug 31
00:00
00:00
Crop Wild Relatives
Villtar erfðalindir ræktaðra nytjaplantna
Asbyrgi
All
Outdoor
External
exhibition

Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to cultivated crops. In the Nordic countries, the diversity of forage and berry plant species is particularly high. With climate change progressing, new properties are needed in modern crops to sustain the changing environment. Beneficial traits from crop wild relatives can be transferred to modern crops, ensuring they can be adapted to changing growing conditions.  

The Crop Wild Relatives Exhibition is in both Icelandic and English and will travel around Iceland, making stops at chosen locations. 29th of July to 31th of August the Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður National Park will exhibit it in Ásbyrgi. The exhibition is a joint Nordic project and created in collaboration with the Icelandic Genetic Resource Council in Agriculture and Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).  

Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður National Park
Urridaholtsstraeti 6-8, 210 Gardabaer
https://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/en
Guðmundur Ögmundsson
gudmundur.ogmundsson@vjp.is
Jun 30
Jul 25
00:00
00:00
Crop Wild Relatives
Villtar erfðalindir ræktaðra nytjaplantna
Akureyri Botanical Garden
All
Outdoor
External
exhibition

Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to cultivated crops. In the Nordic countries, the diversity of forage and berry plant species is particularly high. With climate change progressing, new properties are needed in modern crops to sustain the changing environment. Beneficial traits from crop wild relatives can be transferred to modern crops, ensuring they can be adapted to changing growing conditions.  

The Crop Wild Relatives Exhibition is in both Icelandic and English and will travel around Iceland, making stops at chosen locations. 30th of June to 25th of  July, the Akureyri Botanical Garden will exhibit it. The exhibition is a joint Nordic project and created in collaboration with the Icelandic Genetic Resource Council in Agriculture and Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).

Akureyri Botanical Garden
Eyrarlandsholt
http://www.lystigardur.akureyri.is/
Guðrún K. Björgvinsdóttir
gkb@akureyri.is
Jun 10
Jun 26
00:00
00:00
Crop Wild Relatives
Villtar erfðalindir ræktaðra nytjaplantna
Sauðarkrókur
All
Outdoor
External
exhibition

Crop wild relatives are wild species that are closely related to cultivated crops. In the Nordic countries, the diversity of forage and berry plant species is particularly high. With climate change progressing, new properties are needed in modern crops to sustain the changing environment. Beneficial traits from crop wild relatives can be transferred to modern crops, ensuring they can be adapted to changing growing conditions.  

The Crop Wild Relatives Exhibition is in both Icelandic and English and will travel around Iceland, making stops at chosen locations. 10th to 26th of June, the Nature and Research Center in North Western Iceland will exhibit it in Sauðárkrókur. The exhibition is a joint Nordic project and created in collaboration with the Icelandic Genetic Resource Council in Agriculture and Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).

Náttúrustofa Norðurlands vestra
Aðalgötu 2, 550 Sauðárkróki
https://www.nnv.is/
Einar Þorleifsson
einar@nnv.is
May 18
May 18
20:00
21:00
Museum Day – Crop Wild Relatives (CWR)
Safnadagurinn - Villtar erfðalindir nytjaplantna
Reykjavík Botanical Garden
All
Outdoor
External
guidedtour exhibition

Can we find a solution to the worlds’ food problem in old fields or uncultivated lands?

For 10.000 years, mankind has been growing plants, choosing the best individuals of certain species and gradually making them more tasteful and productive. This has had an effect on the genetic variation of crops. This is a great concern, especially now with rapid climate change around the globe. Plants need the genetic diversity so they aren’t easily wiped out by change in their environments.

Examples of crop wild relatives that can be found in the Nordic countries are caraway, blueberries, bilberries, strawberries and species of forage grasses. These are among the plants that could be crucial when it comes to food security and sustainability around the globe.

On the Museum Day in Iceland, which is also the Fascination of Plants Day, Magnus Göransson, a doctorate student in plant breeding, will talk about crop wild relatives and their importance. He will also present a joint Nordic exhibition in collaboration with NordGen and the Icelandic Genetic Resource Council in Agriculture. The exhibition will be in the Reykjavik Botanical Garden until the 6th of June 2022 and afterwards it will travel the country and be shown in different locations in Iceland.

The tour will be in Icelandic and start by the main entrance of the garden Wednesday the 18th of May at 8 pm. The event is free of charge and all are welcome!

Reykjavik Botanical Garden
Laugardalur
https://grasagardur.is/
Hjörtur Þorbjörnsson. director
botgard@reykjavik.is