Climate change will allow Moldovan gardeners to grow new niche crops

Fresh Strawberry

Fresh Kiwifruit

Published Jan 23, 2024

Tridge summary

The Association of Berry Producers Pomușoarele Moldovei, supported by the Project “Rural Competitiveness and Sustainability of Moldova,” is conducting the seventh cycle of Winter Berry School-2024, focusing on the potential of niche horticultural crops in Moldova. These include alpine strawberries, jujube, pawpaw, persimmon, and actinidia (baby kiwi), which are seen as profitable due to the country's changing climate, their high nutritional value, and adaptability to local conditions. The article also discusses the cultivation of actinidia, likening it to grape farming, and highlights factors such as frost resistance, pest resistance, varietal diversity, and fruit preservation quality, while also noting risks like high initial investments, irrigation and harvesting needs, and the requirement for high-quality pollination.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

In January, the Association of Berry Producers Pomușoarele Moldovei, with the assistance of the Project “Rural Competitiveness and Sustainability of Moldova,” is holding the seventh cycle of “winter schools” for farmers, Winter Berry School-2024. As AgroExpert.md writes, during the first seminar of this cycle, much attention was paid to the prospects for growing niche horticultural crops in the Republic of Moldova. Alexander Yareshchenko, deputy director for science at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Sciences (Ukraine, Kyiv), shared his opinion on this issue with the seminar participants. He believes that the climate transformation, during which the territory of the Republic of Moldova is shifting to USDA frost hardiness zone 6 a and b, opens up good opportunities for the industrial production of a wide range of heat-loving fruits. Among them, the expert especially highlighted alpine strawberries, as well as jujube, pawpaw, persimmon, and actinidia (baby ...

Source: Eastfruit