Community seedbanking to improve the resilience of farmers: the case of Kiziba seedbank in Uganda

The Kiziba seedbank was established in June 2010 in Kabwohe site as part of a project to improve the productivity and resilience of seeds for farmers through enhanced use of crop varietal diversity, focusing on Common bean and Banana. Common bean has been primarily managed by women, therefore this project not only benefitted local farmers but it also benefitted women in terms of availaing them with the much needed diversity, and equipping them with the capacities to grow better seeds for better yields, food and seed security

Crop genetic diversity to reduce pests and diseases on-farm: Participatory diagnosis guidelines. Version I

Based on the outputs of the participants of the Spoleto, Italy (2002) Initial Planning Workshop, and the Kunming, China (September 2004) and Meknes, Morocco (March 2005) Workshops on Diagnostic Tools to Understand Farmers' Knowledge, Beliefs and Practices

Good practices for agrobiodiversity management

Native agricultural genetic resources have been generally under-valued, therefore, some initiatives have been taken through Global In-situ agrobiodiversity project joinly implemented by NARC, LI-BIRD and Bioversity International since 1997 in Nepal for conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity on-farm. Global in-situ project (1997-2006) has developed many good practices for agrobiodiversity management which are published in On-farm Management of Agricultural Biodiversity in Nepal: Good Practices 2006 (B Sthapit, P Shrestha and M Upadyay, eds). A good practice is a process or methodology or action that is effective and successful; environmentally, economically and socially sustainable; technically feasible; inherently participatory; replicable and adaptable, that has been proven to work well and produce good results. It is a successful experience tested and validated in achieving its objective. For further widening the scope of good practices in the country, NAGRC, LI-BIRD and Bioversity International have generated, tested and adapted a number of good practices in four sites, Jungu, Dolakha; Ghapanpokhara, Lamjung; Hanku, Jumla; and Chippra, Humla through a project Integrating Traditional Crop Genetic Diversity into Technology: Using a Biodiversity Portfolio Approach to Buffer against Unpredictable Environmental Change in the Nepal Himalayas , commonly called as Local Crop Project (LCP) from 2014 to 2019. Good practices listed here are well tested and adapted by the communtiies in the fields, shown their positive impact, shared and discussed among the relevant stakholders. Project team have tested and validated many good practices, however, we have included 22 good practices that are worth sharing for its dessimination and mainstreaming. These practices, though specially based on eight crops (rice, bean, barley, foxtail millet, proso millet, amaranth and buckwheat), can be widely applicable to other agricultural genetic ressources in different locations, national and globally

An heuristic framework for identifying multiple ways of supporting the conservation and use of traditional crop varieties within the agricultural production system

This paper reviews and discusses how studies on (i) on-farm diversity assessment, (ii) access to diversity and information, (iii) extent of use of available materials and information, and (iv) benefits obtained by the farmer or farming community from their use of local crop diversity, are necessary to identify the different ways of supporting farmers and farming communities in the maintenance of traditional varieties and crop genetic diversity within their production systems. Throughout this paper two key themes are emphasized. First, any description or analysis within the four main areas (assessment, access, use and benefit) can, and most probably will, lead to a number of different actions. Second, the decision to implement a particular action, and therefore its success, will depend on farmers and the farming community having the knowledge and leadership capacity to evaluate the benefits that this action will have for them. This in turn emphasizes the importance of activities (whether by local, national and international organizations and agencies) of strengthening local institutions so as to enable farmers to take a greater role in the management of their resources

Manejo de la diversidad de los cultivos en los agroecosistemas tradicionales

Las exigencias en materia de conservación de los recursos fitogenéticos requieren de la contribución de un gran número de actores para la formulación de estrategias apropiadas en función de la variabilidad de climas, eco y agrosistemas, heterogeneidad cultural, factores económicos y genéticos intrínsecos en el material a conservar. Las estrategias generales de conservación in situ y ex situ requieren del desarrollo y mejora de diversas capacidades nacionales y locales que van desde el conocimiento del germoplasma hasta el diseño o mejoramiento de las infraestructuras. El sureste de México forma parte del centro de diversidad mesoamericano donde tuvieron su origen y diversificación el maíz, frijol, Cucurbita, y Capsicum, entre otros, cultivos que además de su importancia socioeconómica regional son fuentes de genes a nivel mundial. Las instituciones locales, regionales, nacionales e internacionales y las comunidades campesinas que usan los recursos fitogenéticos en sus diversas formas y modalidades, ya sea como materia de estudio, alimento (directo o procesado) o como elemento de cambio, tienen la responsabilidad de conservar y hacer uso eficiente del germoplasma. Esta publicación, Manejo de la diversidad de los cultivos en los agroecosistemas tradicionales, reúne una serie de artículos que fueron presentados en la reunión, del mismo nombre, realizada del 13 al 16 de febrero de 2002 en Mérida, México cuyo objetivo fue compartir las experiencias y lecciones aprendidas acerca del manejo de la diversidad cultivada en los sistemas tradicionales, las decisiones de los agricultores, la genética de la conservación y el mejoramiento, y los aspectos sociales, económicos y culturales de las comunidades rurales donde se realiza la conservación en finca

Participatory diagnostic toolkits and crop improvement approaches: participatory methods to assess and use plant genetic diversity in the field.

In both developing and developed countries, there is increasing in terest in adopting more inclusive and problem-solving participatory re search methods. While there is a wealth of methods and toolkits for con ducting participatory research in the form of scientific articles, books, and manuals, this manual aims to provide a source of information on available toolkits used in conducting participatory research around plant genetic resources (PGR). The manual aims at all those involved in the characterization and utilization of PGR, information collection from participant farmers, and conservation of PGR. The users could be from research centers, universities, farmers’ organizations, government extension agents, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The manual presents participatory information gathering tools, di versity assessment, and deployment tools and diversity conservation approaches. Each toolkit has been described in enough detail to enable readers, at different levels, to understand and use them. The manual’s major merit is in presenting different toolkits in one document that are otherwise scattered in several different sources. Different toolkits used to gather information on status of PGR in participatory varietal deploy ment methods are presented to the readers

Manejo de la biodiversidad en los ecosistemas agrícolas

El “Manejo de la Biodiversidad en los Ecosistemas Agrícolas” mira cómo los agricultores manejan, mantienen, y se benefician de la biodiversidad en los sistemas de producción agrícola. El volumen incluye las más recientes investigaciones y desarrollos en el mantenimiento de la diversidad local en los niveles de la genética de las especies y de los ecosistemas. Los capítulos se tratan de la evaluación de la biodiversidad ecosistémica en la producción agrícola, ganadera, acuático y los diversidades asociados (tales como los polinizadores y los microorganismos del suelo); los praticas de gestión que influyen la diversidad; el papel potencial de la diversidad para la reducción de las presiones de plagas y enfermedades; y los estudios actuales que ejemplifican el valor potencial nutricional, ecosistémica, y financiera de esta diversidad en virtud de las cambiantes condiciones económicas y ambientales. El volumen contiene perspectivas que combinan el pensamiento de los scientificos sociales y biológicas

Gestion de la biodiversité dans les écosystèmes agricoles

La biodiversité dans les écosystèmes agricoles nous fournit la nourriture ainsi que les moyens de la produire. Les différentes variétés de plantes et d’animaux qui nous servent de nourriture sont des éléments indéniables de la biodiversité agricole. Moins visibles, mais tout aussi importants, sont les myriades d'organismes du sol, les pollinisateurs, et les ennemis naturels tels que les épidémies et les maladies, essentiellement utiles à la régulation qui renforce la production agricole. Ce livre examine ces différents aspects de la biodiversité agricole. Un certain nombre de chapitres examinent les ressourcesgénétiques des cultures et les ressources génétiques animales. Les autres chapitres portent sur la biodiversité aquatique, la diversité des pollinisateurs, et la biodiversité des sols. Trois chapitres traitent les différents aspects de la relation entre la diversité et la gestion des épidémies et des maladies. Les chapitres 12 et 13 concernent les agriculteurs et leur gestion de la diversité dans un contexte plus large en matière de complexité spatiale et de changements environnementaux et économiques. Le chapitre 14 se penche sur la contribution de la diversité au régime alimentaire, à la nutrition et à la santé humaine. Les chapitres 15 à 17 analysent la valeur des ressources génétiques et des services écologiques apportée par la biodi- versité dans les écosystèmes agricoles

Tartary buckwheat genetic diversity in the Himalayas associated with farmer landrace diversity and low dietary dependence

While crop genetic diversity supports ecological processes and food security, there have been few cross-cultural studies evaluating the influence of cultural and dietary factors on the conservation of genetic resources. This study examines genetic diversity patterns of tartary buckwheat in 18 smallholder farming communities across five regions of China (Yunnan Province, Tibet Autonomous Region and Sichuan Province) and Bhutan managed by Yi, Tibetan, and Bhutanese farmers using ethnobotanical surveys and DNA barcoding. Findings emphasize that high dietary dependence linked to a single crop may result in simplification of genetic diversity as well as agricultural systems and landscapes more broadly. We advocate for the diversification of crops in agricultural systems as well as diets through the integration of scientific research and farmers’ ecological knowledge and practices towards meeting global food security while supporting environmental well-being through biodiversity conservatio