The INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment welcomes 5,000 new participants to the 2024 bean season
After closure of registrations on 15th March, INCRASE is thrilled to welcome 5,000 new participants to round four of its Citizen Science Experiment (CSE). With an impressive number of 2,272 registrations, Italy is the country from which by far most registrations were received. Germany follows closely with 1,337 participants, while Spain secured 341 registrations. Other European countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Belgium, Romania and Poland also count significant registration numbers. The map below illustrates the diverse geographical distribution of participants. It also includes the location of all 1,347 continuing participants who had registered for this round. Each dot stands for a certain number of registered participants – can you find your own dot on the map?
The 2024 round of the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment is already in progress, having been kicked-off on 1st March, with now 3,600 new participants activated for the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) step. Currently, 1,091 participants have accepted their SMTA. The INCREASE team in Ancona has started packing and dispatching the bean seeds. While waiting for your beans, please be patient as due to the immense logistical workload, it might take still a few more weeks until you receive the bean envelope in your mailbox (in particular for participants from central and northern Europe).
The enthusiasm extends beyond new registrations, with continuing participants actively engaging in seed exchanges. A total of 323 seed requests have been placed and accepted via the app, with 94 participants already receiving and validating their beans, eagerly preparing to begin their experiments. You can find more details about the INCREASE seed exchange here. Thanks to all who are sharing seeds with others!
Last but not least, we are happy and proud about this year’s remarkable participation of schools and school gardens: In total, 282 of them registered for round four of our bean experiment, educating the young generation on the importance of agrobiodiversity!
We wish all participants a great bean season! To guide you in the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment, we encourage you to consult these resources on our website:
- This overview of traits to collect in the different CSE participation levels will help you to make your choice.
- Learn here more about your CSE bean varieties. What is their country of origin? Are they climbing or bush beans?...
- The CSE step-by-step guide provides an overview of all the steps that await you on your bean journey.
- Find here detailed tutorials and instructions for executing the experiment.
- Find here answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).
If you still have questions or encounter difficulties, please contact us via "Increase.CSE-team@ipk-gatersleben.de".
