Evaluating the impact of the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Programme

The Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship Programme awards two fellowships annually to young scientists from developing countries, to enable them to carry out innovative research on the conservation and use of plant genetic resources (PGR). Since 1994, 39 scientists from 24 countries have taken part in the programme. An evaluation of the impact of the Vavilov-Frankel Fellowships (VFF) reveals that overall the VFF Programme has met its stated goals of contributing to the scientific capacity of the Fellows and their home institutes, and of fostering the conservation and use of PGR. The evaluation also indicated ways in which the Fellowship Programme could be improved, and these are now being implemented

Medicinal and aromatic plants improve livelihoods in Yemen

The aim of this brief is to analyze the impact of a set of interventions related to conservation and use of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) on people’s livelihoods. Specifically a simultaneous three-equation model of households’ participation on undertulized crops conservation and income generation activities is applied to evaluate the outcome of a pilot research project implemented by Bioversity International in Yemen between 2002 and 2005. Results generated show a relation between project participation and the perceived yield increase demonstrating the importance for farmers to actively participate in the project’s activities and subsequently apply agronomic practices learnt to improve their livelihood. The generated benefits incentivized farmers to continue to apply the interventions beyond the lifetime of the project ensuring thus a sustainable process in which exogenous interventions, once adopted by farmers become integrant part of farmer’s agronomic practices

The impact of diversity field forums: improving farmer management of millet and Sorghum in Mali

The brief summarizes an evaluation of the impact of one participatory research effort known as diversity field forums (DFFs). DFFs bear some similarities to farmer field schools - an approach to improving crop management practices that involves teaching groups of farmers how to solve problems, set priorities and conduct research through facilitated, handson sessions in fields allocated by the farming community. The Forums aim to strenghten the capacity of farmers to understand, analyse and manage their own plant genetic resources by creating a physical space that facilitates the exchange of ideas among farmers, extension agents and researchers and encourages farmers to experiment with different varieties and production approaches. The project, Empowering Sahelian farmers to leverage their crop diversity assets for enhanced livelihood strategies, was funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) from 2005, coordinated by Bioversity International and implemented by a combination of local, national and international organizations. Villagers designed and conducted the field trials, with technical support from project staff, on land that they had set aside for the purpose. Farmers studied both modern varieties and landraces

Is cryopreservation a viable method for long-term conservation of coffee biodiversity?

This brief summarizes the findings of the 2008 study carried out by Bioversity International and its partners that investigated two major issues relating to conservation of coffee germplasm: 1. What are the real threats to and losses of coffee germplasm held globally in field genebanks? 2. How do the costs of cryopreservation compare with those of maintaining coffee field collections for long-term conservation? The study shows that the costs of cryopreservation should not be considered prohibitive to establishing duplicate, back-up collections of coffee. If cryopreservation is adopted as a complement to field genebanks, the costs of cryopreservation must be added to existing costs of field conservation. However, field collections could be reduced and at least partly between cryopreservation and field collection to ensure the longterm, cost-efficient conservation of coffee genetic resources. This study investigated coffee as a test case, but the results are relevant to other species that are difficult to conserve using the traditional method of seed drying and low-temperature storage. The underlying objective of the study was to assess the potential impact of the widespread adoption of cryopreservation for more species and in more genebanks

The impact of the Musa International Transit Centre

This brief presents the findings of a study published in 2010 that documented and assessed the performance of the International Transit Centre for Musa germplasm (ITC) in terms of the conservation and distribution of Musa germplasm. It also analysed the costs of ITC operations, including possible future developments

The impact of organic bananas in Alto Beni, Bolivia

This Impact Brief reports on an assessment using an asset-based livelihoods approach and carried out in 2009, five years after the end of the project. Overall, about 85% of farm families in the region said their incomes had increased since the end of the project, and the community enterprise grew in terms of both sales and membership. The project clearly initiated and catalyzed the developments that resulted in these outcomes. The impact assessment also identified elements that could be used to strengthen any future similar projects; a greater ongoing investment in the community enterprise, particularly in social and human capital, and decentralization to meet farmers’ preferred methods of working are two examples

Agricultural biodiversity is essential for a sustainable improvement in food and nutrition security

Agricultural biodiversity has hitherto been valued almost exclusively as a source of traits that can be used in scientific breeding programs to improve the productivity of crop varieties and livestock breeds. We argue that it can make a far greater contribution to increased productivity. In particular, a wider deployment of agricultural biodiversity is an essential component in the sustainable delivery of a more secure food supply. Diversity of kingdoms, species and genepools can increase the productivity of farming systems in a range of growing conditions, and more diverse farming systems are also generally more resilient in the face of perturbations, thus enhancing food security. Diversity can maintain and increase soil fertility and mitigate the impact of pests and diseases. Diversity of diet, founded on diverse farming systems, delivers better nutrition and greater health, with additional benefits for human productivity and livelihoods. Agricultural biodiversity will also be absolutely essential to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change, not simply as a source of traits but as the underpinnings of more resilient farm ecosystems. Many of the benefits of agricultural biodiversity are manifested at different ecological and human scales, and cut across political divisions, requiring a cross-sectoral approach to reassess the role of agricultural biodiversity in sustainable and secure food production

Bioversity International in Focus

Biological diversity encompasses all the variation in living things on Earth. Part is used by people to meet their needs for food, shelter, medicines, building materials and so on. That portion is usually referred to as agricultural biodiversity. Bioversity International exists to conduct research on agricultural biodiversity that will enable poor people to improve their livelihoods. This booklet outlines the areas of agricultural biodiversity on which the organization focuses