Territory is a key element for biodiversity. It is not sufficient for a product to just be local, since the adjective “local” tells us very little about the history and traditions of an area. It is possible to locally produce recently introduced improved varieties, hybrids, or products unrelated to the local culture. The products that are of interest for the Ark are strongly linked to their territory, not just as in terms of climate and environment, but also in terms of a cultural and historical context. Territory comprises soil, air, water, and climate, but also language, dialects, religion, craftsmanship, architecture, and landscape. Far from its territory of origin, a seed, vegetable, fruit tree, or animal breed becomes simply genetic material. Edible plant varieties and animal breeds are best able to fulfill their potential in the territory in which they have developed over the centuries thanks to human activities. For this reason they are more resistant and require fewer external inputs (fertilizers and herbicides in the case of plants; veterinary care, water, and food in the case of animals). They are therefore more sustainable, both from an environmental and an economic point of view. When you hear that a product is the same everywhere, that there are no differences between one region and another, between mountain and plains and so on, don’t give up: Continue to ask questions. You will find the differences, and they will derive from particular terrain, the use of an herb or spice that is found only in a particular valley, and so on. The challenge is to try to link a product to a potentially vast territory with a precise identity: an island, a mountain, a river valley, or a group of hills. If you cannot find a difference, even in the smallest details, it means that this is not such an interesting product.
