Citizen Science: Knowledge for All
What is Citizen Science?
Citizen science is any activity that involves the public in scientific research and thus has the potential to bring together science, policy makers, and society as a whole in an impactful way.* Anyone with an interest in science and a bit of extra-time on their hands can be a citizen scientist. From observing how potatoes sprout at home to reporting signs of pests in your local market: you can do research anywhere and at any time!
If you are interested in finding CS initiatives close to you, take a look at the EU-Citizen.Science platform. This is a collaborative platform that empowers public participation in scientific research, supports the exchange of knowledge, practical collaboration, and community-driven learning.
For Citizen Science projects specifically in the agriculture and food sectors, we invite you to have a look at the interactive map, developed by the ECSA Agri-Food Working Group.
*This is a broad definition focusing on stakeholder involvement and less on active participation in the research process. For a more specific definition, you can learn more about citizen science on the ECSA website and in the ten principles of citizen science
PataFEST and Citizen Science
As part of the PataFEST project, we have organised and facilitated several activities to bring the research of the project closer to the general public. We did so during workshops in urban gardens and during the long night of science where our participants could do a live potato leaf DNA extraction at the Natural History Museum Berlin.
Webinars
A series of webinars have already been held in collaboration with European Citizen Science. These sessions explore key topics in citizen science, share practical tools, and highlight inspiring initiatives with a special focus on potato-related research and innovation. More webinars are planned to continue promoting knowledge exchange and public engagement in citizen-led research.
PataFEST Webinar Series – 1: Citizens meets potatoes
PataFEST Webinar Series – 2: Citizens meets potatoes: Turning mussel shells into biofertiliser
PataFEST Webinar Series – 3: Citizens meets potatoes: Uncovering Plant Resilience through DNA
Podcast
In this podcast series researchers from the project talk to us about important topics related to reducing food waste, sustainability and the future of agriculture.
Reducing Food Waste: From farm to fork | Insights from the Experts
Cultivating Collaboration: Bridging Science and Industry for a Sustainable Potato Future
Workshops
Testing biofertiliser at Stadtgarten Lichtenberg
In May 2025, ECSA organised a workshop at the Stadtgarten Lichtenberg (an urban garden in Berlin Lichtenberg), where the biofertilisers developed as part of the PataFEST project were tested and distributed. Until harvest time, participants monitored plant growth, soil health, and ultimately potato yield. Here are some examples of the data collected.
Potato Leaf DNA extraction
During the Long Night of Science 2025, and in collaboration with the microbiology lab of the Natural History Museum Berlin, we invited several potato growers to bring their potato leaves to determine whether they were resistant to two common potato diseases (PVY, potato virus Y, and G. palida, a worm). PataFEST partners from Funidtech, NEIKER, KNEIA, and ANECOOP supervised the experiments and explained how they related to the project.
The experiment took place in five stages:
- DNA extraction: Participants grind their own potato plant leaves and extract DNA using the protocol from the DNA extraction kit.*
- Gel preparation: Participants prepare the gel. To speed up the process, they do not need to wait for it to set; instead, they can use gel prepared in advance and add the extracted DNA.
- PCR test: Preparing samples for testing, followed by approximately 40 cycles of 2 minutes.
- Staining PCR results and loading them into the gel
- Analysing PCR results