Combining Policy Instruments and Local Measures to Promote Agrobiodiversity

Summary Agrobiodiversity is in decline. While the literature highlights the role of public policy in this process, a research gap remains concerning how policies can help reverse this trend by providing economic support to farms that value crop and varietal diversity. Based on desk research and expert interviews, this article first provides an overview of European and national policy instruments that can be used to economically support the promotion of agrobiodiversity on farms, focusing on seven European countries. Drawing on case study findings, it then presents a typology of local initiatives that combine these instruments with local measures to provide economic support to farms cultivating minor crops and traditional varieties. This support is primarily indirect, ranging from seed provision to market development, although most initiatives do not cover the entire value chain. The results underline the critical role of local authorities and confirm the value of public‐private partnerships in promoting crop and varietal diversity. They also emphasise the need for stronger coordination between policy measures and governance levels to support value chains that foster agrobiodiversity, and call for further research to assess how the combined support of policy instruments and local measures contributes to new business models at farm level.