“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

Hijacking from the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research web site:
Plant genetic resources and seeds:
policies, conservation and use India,

Date: 31 October – 18 November 2011
Please see this unique training opportunity organized by the Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation, and the Center for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands, in collaboration with MSSRF in India and LI-BIRD in Nepal.

The course will focus on community biodiversity management (CBM) and resilience, Participatory learning and action research Multi-stakeholder processes and social learning, conservation strategies, genetic resources and climate change policy frame, and it will be held in November 2011 in India.

Here the detailed brochure on the course focus, objectives, target group and further information:

Training programme Brochure

Dr Sean Mayes, Associate Professor in Crop Genetics at the University of Nottingham on Global food security UK web site tells us about the value of diversification and the importance to rely also on underutilized species, more capable to cope with water constraints and other issues brought by climate change.

Read bout it here

Here is a new book on the diversity and ethnobotany of taro (Colocasia esculenta), one of the world’s most ancient food crops

We were particularly impressed by the chapter of Peter J. Metthews, an excell

ent account of taro’s history, with much useful information on its earliest uses over 20,000 years BP, a comprehensive section on taro’s nutritional qualities, the methods employed to remove anti-nutri tional factors, and the food culture associated with taro.

Highly recommended!

The Abstract (copied further down) and the link to downlaod plus other information is available on Bioveristy International’s web site here

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Abstract:

Taro is a staple crop for several hundred million small farmers and planters throughout the tropical world. Often associated with Asia and Pacific, it is also important in the Americas and Africa. This book explores the diversity of taros and their uses as well as the status of  taro genetic resources in all the major geographic regions where it is grown. While new market opportunities and taro’s versatility are responsible for its growing popularity in markets, diseases and climate change also pose ever greater threats to its production and distribution. By taking a global approach to the crop, the authors highlight ways to address new outbreaks of pathogens such as the Taro leaf blight in Africa. Diversity in cultivars is also important in coping and adapting to climate change especially when genetic diversity science and farmer knowledge can be brought together.

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.