• Pablo B. Eyzaguirre, Senior Scientist, Anthropology & Socioeconomics, IPGRI

• Bhuwon Sthapit, Scientist, In Situ Crop Conservation• Rachael Wamae, Kyanika Adult Women Group• Yasuyuki Morimoto, Associate Scientist, Ethnobotany

Community perspectives in Managing Crop Biodiversity

• Good practices for strengthening community-based PGR management

• Selected participatory approaches and methods

• Community sensitization• Diversity fair, diversity block, diversity kits• Community biodiversity register

Mosaic landscapes

Visions of Landscape

• an area as it is perceived by people (IUCN)

•a transformation of social ideology into physical form (Pearson)

•Material objects, social creations, and mental representations (La Tour, from Pearson)

Definitions that recognize the ideologies of people who share a particular place as fundamental drivers of transformations of bio-physical components within and across environments:

Mosaic landscapes

Variations in land use and deployment of agricultural biodiversity characterize culturally maintained landscapes. Ex. Andean landscape mosaics (Terrazas and Valdivia 1998)

Farmers network analysis in Kachorwa ecositeSubedi et al., 2003

Seed networks in Nepal

• Village workshop• Social and resource mapping• Rural diversity drama • Rural poetry journey• Folk song competition• Traditional food fair• Diversity fair

Foundation elements for community awareness:

Community sensitization

Diversity Diversity fair fair..community based competitive event to display

local crop diversity

• locating diversity and recognizing custodianslocating diversity and recognizing custodians• enhance exchange of materials and knowledge • rapid assessment of varietal diversity• sensitize community • enhance farmer participation• collection of germplasm

non-replicated blocks (by ecological domain) under farmer’s management

• characterization and evaluation of characterization and evaluation of • farmer’s varieties and preferred traitsfarmer’s varieties and preferred traits• assessment of consistency of farmer’s

descriptor in naming and describing farmer-named cultivar

• selection for parent• seed multiplication for diversity kits• community sensitization

Diversity blocks

a set of small quantity of seeds for informal research and development

• encourage farmers to search, select and maintain encourage farmers to search, select and maintain preferred local genetic resourcespreferred local genetic resources

• deployment diversity for managing pests and deployment diversity for managing pests and diseases stressesdiseases stresses

• strengthening seed networks for improved gene flowstrengthening seed networks for improved gene flow • enhance farmer participation

Diversity Kits

• a register (farmer information database) maintained by community based organizations for keeping inventory and monitoring local crop diversity for the community benefits and needs

Community Biodiversity Register

• recognition that community controls information, materials and decision making process

• strengthen local capacity for conservation and utilization decisions

• decentralization of farmer information database at community level

• local commitment and a sense of ownership• address the needs of rural livelihoods and

income• code of conduct for access to and benefit sharing

Difference in approach?:

Community Biodiversity RegisterCommunity Biodiversity Register

Objectives:

documentationdocumentationmonitoringmonitoringmarketingmarketingexchangeexchangebiopiracybiopiracyownershipownership

Community Biodiversity RegisterCommunity Biodiversity Register

• Passport data• Numbers of farmer-named cultivars at HH

or village level• Area of each cultivar and source of seed

initially• Reasons for cultivating each cultivar

(value-public and private) and custodians• Name of custodians for unique, rare and

economically valuable cultivars, digital picture of distinguishing traits, photo of custodian, audio interview

What data should be in CBR?

• Numbers of farmer-named cultivars or farmer unit of diversity at HH or village level

• Monitor changes in number and area of common and rare and unique cultivars

Indicators for monitoring genetic diversity in situ

I n s itu p e r fo rm a n c e c h a r t

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1997 1998 1999 2000

No of landrace

Area planted

No of farmers

Monitoring of changes in population size (area, HH Monitoring of changes in population size (area, HH number) of crops or farmer’s variety over timenumber) of crops or farmer’s variety over time

Community Biodiversity RegisterCommunity Biodiversity Register

• a sense of social responsibility amongst community members

• promote exchange of materials and knowledge• income generation by promoting marketing of

unique and economically valuable genetic resources• monitoring genetic erosion at local level and make

conservation decisions• develop options for adding benefits and setting

breeding goals• awareness on risk of biopiracy and protect farmers’

rights

Challenges: Benefits to farmers

Steps for implementing farmer information database, CBR

Analysis and sharing of information and link with R&D

Recording of CBR for understanding diversity

Agreement on roles and responsibilities and code of conduct for sharing information and benefits

Setting objectives of CBR with community

Training for CBR documentation

Diversity fair for locating diversity and custodians

Sharing ideas with community and grassroots institutions

Community bio-diversity register

NationalGenebank

Options• PVS• PPB

Diversity fair/ block*

Householdseed store

Formal Breeding

Farmer’s seedsupply system

Community-based PGR managementCommunity-based PGR management(Source: Sthapit and Jarvis, 1999)

Strengthening local capacity for management of local Strengthening local capacity for management of local crop diversity for rural livelihoods and incomecrop diversity for rural livelihoods and income

Local knowledge documentation and exchange to preserve the varieties of the bottle gourd (Kitete) in Kenya

Why is it important to conserve bottle gourd diversity in Kitui?

• Plastics are spoiling our environment

• We have need containers, food, money

• Old people are not passing knowledge to the young people sufficiently

The many uses of bottle gourds

Seed container

Cloth boxChick’s house Milk container

Bowls

For music

Kitete is foodMongu types are edible

Young leaves are edible

How did we document and keep information?Writing on note books, tape recording, video taking, taking photosCommunity resource center Group participationGroup Demonstration field

Tape recording Group work

Training by experts

How we benefited as a community

VisitorsKyanika in Internet

Money from sales

Kitete museum and resource centre

Using kitete experience to conserve cowpea varieties

• Cowpea is both a leafy vegetable crop and a pulse (seed)• It is the most important vegetable in Kitui and very nutritious• There are many types; creeping, erect, early or late maturing, some good

for seed and other good for vegetable.

Kyanika Group has collected over 20 cowpea varieties from all over the district

Thank youWelcome to Kyanika Kitui, Kenya

Kitete song