Participatory seed exchange (PSE): A community based mechanism for promoting access to seeds

Participatory Seed Exchange (PSE) is a low cost, simple and effective community-based mechanism for improving farmers' access to locally adapted seeds and planting materials which promotes farmer led on-farm conservation and utilization of the agrobiodiversity by exchanging available Agricultural Plant Genetic Resource (APGR) within the community (Shrestha et al 2013, Gautam et al 2017, Sthapit et al 2019). In Nepal, PSE was first piloted by the Western Terai Landscape Complex Project (WTLCP) in 2008 (Shrestha et al 2013). PSE is being utilized as a multi-propose tool to identify, exchange and document available APGR along with associated traditional knowledge by mobilizing local community and their networks. Though PSE is a one-day event, it takes an approximately a month-long time period to plan, prepare and practice

On-farm agrobiodiversity measurement and conservation

Total agrobiodiversity of any area is necessary to plan the implementation of agricultural and environmental projects and activities. Diversity is most for advancing agriculture development, however, modern agriculture has accelerated the replacement of old age crop diversity. Agrobiodiversity index and measures are commonly used and estimated for crop and animal species, landraces and sites. These are useful for locating sites, crops and custodians of agrobiodiversity. Agrobiodiversity includes crop and plant; livestock and fish, insect and microbial genetic resources that are cultivated, semi domesticated or wild. Diversity are ated properly that leads to choose the conservation approaches effectively

Diversifying the sourcing and deploying methods to enhance the crop diversity

A Nepalese farmers of mountain and hill agro-ecosystem mostly grow landraces or traditional varieties of most of the crops. In some major crops like rice, wheat and maize, very old varieties are in cultivation. Insufficient research on minor crops and poor extension networks to disseminate new varieties of major crops are the major reasons to narrow down the varietal options available to the farmers. Crop genetic diversity can make farming systems more resilient, but a major constraint is that farmers lack access to crop genetic resources (Tripp 1997). Farmers have fewer options available to choose, especially at a time when more new diversity is needed to cope with climate and market change (Atlin et al 2017). A portfolio of varieties exists in National Agricultural Genetic Resources Centre (Genebank) and many research stations that includes different varieties which are better than those currently grown by small farmers in remote hills and mountains, who have had limited opportunity to test these different options. In this context, potentials landraces sourced and collected in national Genebank from different environments can be deployed to the farmers of similar production environments

Compendium of Climate-smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices

Nepal is a vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change. The adverse effects of climate change have decreased agricultural production and productivity. Therefore, technologies and strategies to develop resilience agriculture and increased agriculture productivity are urgently needed to create climate-smart technologies and help the existing technologies to adapt to climate change. This compendium presents climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and interventions for enhancing food security with adaptation and mitigation as co-benefits. CSA involves smart farming practices and strategies that help develop resilience agriculture, increase crop and livestock productivity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance food security goals. This compendium has been developed for extension workers to support up-scaling climate-smart technologies and build climate resilience villages that enhance food, nutrition, and income, mainly for marginal communities striving in marginal areas

Advances in the registration of farmers’ varieties: Four cases from the global South

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing appreciation of crop varieties developed by local farmers, commonly referred to as farmers’ varieties. These varieties often have attractive characteristics for both producers and consumers, such as adaptability to harsh environmental conditions and high nutritional values. Yet they are usually not sold in formal markets, and tend to be limited to farmers’ seed systems. This is partially due to national seed laws that, in an effort to guarantee good quality seed of uniform and stable varieties, create obstacles for farmers’ varieties to reach the market. This article describes the experiences of four countries—Bolivia, Laos, Nepal and Zimbabwe—that are developing alternative variety registration systems for farmers’ varieties. Most of these cases have never been documented before. The cases present the main drivers behind and approaches to the registration of farmers’ varieties in different legal contexts and at different stages of development. We conclude that farmers’ variety registration systems can generate benefits including faster and cheaper variety releases, improved farmer incomes, and a larger diversity of well-adapted varieties in the market—but some important issues are still to be resolved

Agro-morphological diversity of Nepalese naked barley landraces

Abstract Background Naked barley is a traditional, climate-resilient and highly nutritious crop of the high mountains of Nepal. Knowledge of agro-morphological diversity among the naked barely genotypes is fundamental for their efficient utilization in plant breeding schemes and effective conservation programs. The primary objective of this study is phenotypic characterization and diversity assessment of naked barley landraces in Nepal for pre-breeding purposes. Methodology Data on quantitative and qualitative traits of 25 naked barley landraces from diversity blocks established across the four mountainous locations of Nepal (Humla, Jumla, Dolakha and Lamjung) were subjected to calculation of descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis (UPGMA cluster analysis/principal component analysis). Frequency distribution of various categories of qualitative traits and Shannon–Weaver diversity indices were computed. Results The UPGMA cluster analysis using both quantitative and qualitative traits individually categorized the 25 naked barley landraces in five clusters in each case with no distinct regional grouping patterns in such a way that the landraces from same or adjacent regions of origin and collection amassed in different clusters. NGRC04894, Lamjung Local, NGRC02306, NPGR1579, NGRC02327 and NPGR1579 exhibited morphoagronomical superiority and potentiality for utilization as genitors in crop improvement programs. Principal component analysis revealed the quantitative traits, viz. grain yield, plant height and earliness, and qualitative traits, viz. grain color, overall phenotypic performance, lemma awn/hood and lemma awn barbs, to be the principal discriminatory characteristics of the Nepalese naked barley landrace collection. The Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H′) ranged from 0.32 to 0.99 with a mean value of 0.73, inferring tremendous diversity in the collection for the qualitative traits. Conclusion The marked diversity observed among the Nepalese naked barley landraces could be utilized in crop improvement for various traits. The information generated complements the robust breeding program of competitive, stable and climate-resilient varieties of end users’ preferences in different mountainous agro-ecologies and also bolsters the employment of innovative and proven participatory plant breeding approach using diversity kits and informal research and development kits to expand and promote the varietal choice options for expeditious benefits to the farmers in the high mountains, considering that only one naked barley variety, viz. Solu Uwa, has been released in Nepal to date