Traditional and Local Crop Varieties for Sustainable Cultivation and Climate-Resilient Food Production

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite contributions to this Special Issue, ‘Traditional and Local Crop Varieties for Sustainable Cultivation and Climate-Resilient Food Production’.

Traditional and locally adapted crop varieties represent invaluable reservoirs of genetic diversity that are essential for building sustainable and climate-resilient agri-food systems. Over generations, these varieties have been naturally and culturally selected under diverse agroecological conditions, developing adaptive traits that enable them to thrive with minimal input, as well as with resistances to environmental stresses such as drought, pests, and temperature extremes.

However, modern agricultural intensification and market homogenization have led to the replacement of traditional crops by a limited number of high-yielding varieties, contributing to genetic erosion and ecosystem vulnerability.

Revitalizing the use of traditional crops and integrating them into modern, sustainable cultivation systems is, therefore, critical for ensuring food security, preserving biodiversity, and supporting rural economies in the face of climate change.

This Special Issue aims to collect interdisciplinary research and review papers that explore the functional role of traditional and local crop varieties in building sustainable agri-food value chains and climate-resilient food systems. It will focus on innovative approaches for their conservation, characterization, breeding, and reintegration into contemporary agriculture and markets, emphasizing how these varieties contribute to low-input farming, biodiversity preservation, climate adaptation, and the production of high-quality, locally sourced food products. By linking scientific evidence with socio-economic, policy, and market perspectives, the Special Issue seeks to demonstrate how traditional crop diversity can support the global transition to more sustainable, resilient, and regionally grounded agri-food systems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conservation and revalorization strategies for traditional and local crop varieties;
• Genetic, phenotypic, and biochemical traits contributing to resilience and quality;
• Integration of traditional crops into low-input, organic, and agroecological farming;
• Role of traditional varieties in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies;
• Nutritional, functional, and sensory quality of products derived from traditional crops;
• Valorization pathways linking traditional varieties with regional identity, gastronomy, and tourism;
• Socio-economic and policy aspects supporting their conservation and market integration.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ante Lončarić
Dr. Svjetlana Škrabal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.