Planet Under Pressure takes place this week – a major event focusing on solutions to the global sustainability challenge, leading up to Rio+20 in June 2012.

Bioversity International is organizing a live web-cast for us all to be there and contribute – see the message from Bioversity International’s web site

To mark the event, why not join Bioversity International for a live chat ‘Agricultural Biodiversity and our Planet‘ on Tuesday 27 March at 14:00 from Rome, Italy (Central European Summer Time – CEST) which you will be able to follow live from this page. Check out the International Time Converter.

Our expert panel – Emile Frison, Bruce Cogill, Fabrice DeClerck and Stephan Weise – will respond to questions and comments about how agricultural biodiversity can contribute to the global sustainability challenge and improve nutrition and livelihoods in smallholder farming communities.

As well as opportunities to contribute questions and comments during the event, we are also now taking advance questions through Twitter – #abdchat

“Reinforcing the resilience of poor rural communities in the face of food insecurity, poverty and climate change through on-farm conservation of local agrobiodiversity”

This is the title of the new Project Bioversity and its partners in India, Nepal and Bolivia, will be launching in June 2011.

Threshing minor millets in India: traditional operations which are currently poorly effective can be improved with great benefits for the farmers who are encouraged to use these resources and contribute to their on farm conservation (Credit: S. Padulosi)

The 2010 FAO State of the World Report II on PGRFA depicts an alarming and worrying situation with regard to the conservation and use of agrobiodiversity: despite considerable progress made on ex situ conservation, very limited efforts are on record for curbing the genetic and cultural erosion taking place on farm and severely affecting the sustenance of local crops and varieties. Furthermore, international policy instruments in support of agrobiodiversity, such as the Global Crop Diversity Trust, are currently focusing mainly on crops of Annex I of the International Treaty for PGRFA, thus excluding de facto thousands of other nutritious (and in many cases endangered) crops and varieties from being properly safeguarded, conserved and promoted for their effective use.

The Programme will be implemented in Latin America (Bolivia) and in South Asia (Nepal and India) and will be pursuing three main objectives:

1. the development of tools to map out diversity and assess values, threats and competitiveness of local crops of relevance to the rural poor within a climate change context;
2. the dissemination of tools, mechanisms, approaches to enhance capacities of stakeholders in conserving diversity on farm and
3. the exploration of policy options and collaborative frameworks at national and international levels aimed at strengthening pro-poor on-farm conservation. Ultimately, these efforts will aim at mainstreaming agro-biodiversity into conservation and use practices and in so doing enhance the preparedness of farmers and value chain actors against climate change.

For more information contact email hidden; JavaScript is required and to read a more extensive write up see the post on PAR web site

Abstract

Traditionally farmers use diverse crops, trees and wild plant species, livestock and aquatic species to sustain/enhance their livelihood. The use of diverse species and varieties enhances their adaptability and resilience capacity to changing environmental and economic conditions. Genetic diversity is a key element in farmers’ livelihood strategies particularly in areas under high ecological, climatic and economic stresses and risks. Global food security has become increasingly dependent on a limited number of varieties of a few major crops and in the wake of climate change, such a situation makes farmers more vulnerable with regard to their nutrition and income security. This paper aims to discuss the conceptual framework of on-farm/in situ conservation in adapting and mitigating climate change through an integrated system of diversified food production and land use. The role of on-farm/in situ conservation of crops is discussed along with its complementary advantages over ex situ conservation. Empowerment of farming communities is essential for effective in situ/on-farm conservation as the process encourages local level decision making on management of genetic resources. The paper also highlights community-based biodiversity management as a methodology to realize in situ/on-farm conservation through strengthening farmer seed systems, and promoting climate resilient integrated home garden production systems, especially underutilized crop species and carbon rich farming that support climate change actions. Implementation of biodiversity management approaches will require conducive policy environment in order to be truly effective and sustainable. Some relevant recommendations on how to best proceed towards a viable in situ/on – farm conservation system are also proposed.

Authors: Sthapit, B.; Padulosi, S.; Mal, M.

Click here to download the file:
Role of on-farm/In situ conservation and underutilized crops in the wake of climate change

This paper has been presented in the National Symposium on Recent Global Developments in the Management of Plant Genetic Resources, NBPGR, New Delhi, India, 17–18 December 2009.