Roles of On-farm Conservation and Underutilized Crops in the

Wake of Climate Change

Bhuwon Sthapit, Stefano Padulosi & Bhag MalBioversity International17-18 December 2009, ISPGR, New Delhi

Climate change is already happening!

Jarvis, FAO meeting, 2008

What do the 21 models say?

Summary

• Climate change will happen, no matter what

• It will get hotter, some places dryer, others wetter

• We still don’t know what will happen in some places

• Both challenges and opportunities in agriculture

Implications of climate change critical to agriculture

Sufficient evidence• CC is already eroding biodiversity –landraces and wild

relatives• Long term and irreversibleConsequences of CC on species diversity• Changes in distribution• Increased extinction rates• Changes in phenology• Proliferation of weeds and pests and invasive species

The suitability of species/genotypes changes in both positive and negative ways

Magnitude of climate change

Average changes in

suitability for the HADCM3

model (top) and CCCMA

model (bottom).

Blue = increase in suitability

Red = reduction in

suitability.

Crops includeAnnex 1 of ITPGRFA

Other cash cropsJarvis, FAO Meeting, 2008

Changes in crop suitability

Impacts of climate change on crops

From Lobell et al., 2008. Science319:607-610

Community concerns

Climate variability and risk has always been a part of agriculture

Community concern is always with increase uncertainty in climatic variables –speed of change!

Extreme events, their frequencies and predictability!

Knowledge gap on how these farmers and communities are coping with climate change over the years?

Bring together two knowledge systems

Farmer’s strategy: Diversity for adversity

Portfolio of farming practices–Integrated crop-livestock-tree farming–Crop diversification–Farming with perennials (e.g. home gardens; agro-forestry)–Livestock diversity adds resilience to agricultural production systems

Portfolio of management practices

–-Enriching soil carbon– Seed priming– Minimum tillage practices

Farmer’s strategy: Diversity for adversity

Portfolio of farming system

Portfolio of management practices

Portfolio of crop varieties–69 cultivars–Bhatti-wetter years–Southyari-extreme drier years–Mansara-marginal

Southyari

Gene Bank(ex situ)

Breeding

FORMAL SYSTEM

Seed production

Seed quality control

Distribution

Seed

Planting

Cultivation

Harvest

Storage

INFORMALSYSTEM75-97%

Exchange

Consumption

Market

Farmers

On-farm conservation/on-farm management: adapt, evolve and buffer

Forest / wild

1. Saved own

2. Barter/gift3. Sale/purchase

3-25%

On-farm conservation

On-farm conservation of agricultural biodiversity refers to the maintenance of traditional crop varieties (landraces) or cropping systems by farmers within in the natural habitats where they occur-in farmers’ fields and uncultivated plant communities.

(Altieri and Merrick, 1987)

Conserve the evolutionary processes of local adaptation of crops to local conditions;

Conserve diversity at all levels; ecosystem, species and intra-specific (genetic) levels –adaptation strategy for CC

Conserve ecosystem services and functions Conserve diversity for livelihoods for resource poor farmers Maintain or increase farmers’ control over and access to

genetic resources Maintain traditional knowledge in the community Integrate farming community to national conservation efforts Support national commitment to the CBD, ITPGRFA and

farmer’s rights

Why On-farm conservation?

Far

• WHAT: The amount and distribution of genetic diversity maintained by farmers over time and space

• HOW: The processes used to maintain genetic diversity on-farm

• WHO: The people who maintain genetic diversity on-farm and who make decisions

• WHY: The factors that influence farmer decision making to maintain diversity

Basic questions to understand farmer management of crop diversity

• -LN(1-Farm evenness)

•0.0 •0.5 •1.0 •1.5 •2.0

•LN

Fa

rm rich

ne

ss

•0.0

•0.5

•1.0

•1.5

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•Black circle = staples•Gray circle = non-staples

Landrace richness and evenness at the farm level

Above the line:

High dominance with much richness at low frequencies: Diversity maintained as an insurance to meet change

Below the line

More even frequency distribution: Farmers are selecting varieties to serve current needs

Neutral function

Results are GLOBAL – for all crops and all countries

Ln

Fa

rm ric

hn

es

s

-Ln (1- Farm evenness)Jarvis et al. 2008 PNAS 105 (14):5326-5331

Many households,Large areas

Few households,Small areas

Few households,Large areas

Many households,Small areas

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Four-cell diversity analysis as a widely adapted tool

CBM platform: Participatory learning for understanding local crop diversity and associated traditional knowledge

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Fig 1. Farmers’ network on rice seed flow in Begnas eco-site (Subedi et al 2003. Culture and Agriculture 25(2);41-50)

Who maintains diversity and how? Social seed network

What is farmer system? own saved seed exchange gifts purchase

Who is nodal farmer? high frequency of exchange seed and information to other farmers

DiversityFlexibilitySelection

Who is innovator? search select maintain exchange

Meta-population Theory migration colonization

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62RSChaite 2

Trial

Size of networks-large vs. small; open vs. close network (Paudel et al., 2008)

Social seed network and system resilience

Vulnerable to climate changeCommunity interventions?

Resilient to climate change

Community bio-diversity register/Community seed

bank

NationalGenebank

Options• VA• PPB

Diversity fair/ kits*

Householdseed store

Formal Breeding

Farmer’s seedsupply system

Community-based PGR managementCommunity-based PGR management

Strengthening Local Capacity for Strengthening Local Capacity for Community led Climate Change AdaptationCommunity led Climate Change Adaptation

(Source: Sthapit and Jarvis, 1999)

Consolidating role of farmers as conservers, promoters of diversity and as dynamic Innovators to cope climate change!

Basic concerns:(1) ACCESS;(2) IPR;(3) MARKET;(4) BIOSAFETY (Sajise et al., 2007)

Wild relatives

Selection SelectionField

Farmer Varieties

Farmer’s seed system

Outside Farmer’s Varieties

(1, 2, 3) (1, 2, 3) (1, 2, 3)

(1, 2, 3)

Selection(1, 2, 3)PPB

(1, 2, 3)Selection

Biotechnology (4)

Adapted gene pool

Breeders’ Varieties

Breeders’ seed system

Commercial farmers(1, 2, 3)

(1, 2, 3)

Community seed bank and exchange

Plant, animal microbe species

(1, 2, 3)

UPOV - NDUS Patent – NDNew, non-obvious inventive step, utility

CertificationDUS

(1, 2, 3)

Selection

Knowledge/skills

Social customs/practices

Rules/ institutions

CBM

Creating local varieties

Improve on-farmconservation

Conceptual framework for using genetic diversity to adapt to climate change

Farmersempowerment

Community basedgenetic resource

management (e.g. PVS, PPB)

Adaptation

Mitigation

In-situ/On-farmConservation

Empowerment

IncentiveCBM

Community

Relations between CBM, in situ conservation and Empowerment

Pre-condition

CBM is a good practice for empowering community

A method to realize in situ /on-farm conservation

Steps for establishing CBM

1. Enhancing community awareness

2. Understanding local biodiversity, social networks and institutions

3. Capacity building of community institution

4. Setting up of institutional working modalities

5. Consolidating community roles in planning and implementation

6. Establishing a CBM trust fund

7. Community monitoring, evaluation and social auditing

8. Social learning and scaling up for community collective actions

Partners in Change and Innovation

ResearchInstitutes Farmers’

Organisations

Development AgenciesExtension Services

NGOs

Agri-businessPolicy Bodies

Environmentalistassociations Consumer

organisations

Implementing Institutions

A new role in institutional &professionalcapacity building

Cultivating partnership-3Ms

Challenges If genetic resources are going to

conserved on-farm, it must happen as a spin off of farmer’s production and livelihood strategies.

This means conservation efforts must be carried out within the framework of farmer’s livelihood, income and cultural values.

What are the strategies for on-farm conservation and livelihood gains?

STRATEGIES

• Improve access of materials and information

• Develop market incentives for traditional varieties

• Improve competitiveness of local varieties

Large area;Few HHs

Small area;Many HHs

Small area;Few HHs

Large area;Many HHs

Ex situconservation

On-farmconservation

Improve materials

Value additionMarket links

Strategic decisions: Empowering community for setting development and conservation agenda

Recognition

Improve access

CBR

Community action 1: Improved access to unique materials and information to wider groups

Good practices

Diversity fairs

Diversity blocks

Diversity kits

CBR

Community seed

bank

19981 HH Diversity fair

2000Diversity block7HH

200170 Diversity kits

2002195 HHs

1998Rare

2002Common

Improved access by community actions; many examples

Luffa cylindrica L. Traits: aroma, taste, delayed net

Momordica cochinchinensis L. Sechium edule L. Trewia nudiflora L.

Luffa cylindrica L.Cyphomandra betacea L.Coccinea grandis L. Cucurbita moschata L.

Capsicum microcarpum L.

Dolichos lablab L.Brassica juncea var. rayoDioscorea spp. L.Colocasia esculenta L.

Community Action 2: Maximize use of diversity-NUS-Crops for the future using PPB methods

There will never be enough plant breeders for all crops for all situations!

Community action 3: Enhance local materials

Diversity assessmentN=338

Market survey

Selection of preferred traits

Post harvest trait

On-farm testing &Seed production

Production

MarketingTrait: Ability to elongate 12 mm after cooking

What do we need to do?

• Understand and use the intra-specific diversity among the traditional varieties maintained by farmers

• Adapt breeding programs to develop genetic resources adapted to intra-specific mixtures (Finckh 2008)

• Integrating diverse trees, livestock, aquatics species and crops (including NUS) to buffer changing environmental conditions and improve resilience capacity

What you grow today might not be what you need tomorrow

What do we need to do?

• Strengthen farmer seed systems to promote open, dynamic and integrated genetic system to cope climate change at the local level– Empower community for community based

conservation actions (e.g. seed fair, diversity kits, CBR, CSB, CBSP)

– GB, PVS and PPB• Consolidate farmer’s role as conservers, promoter of

diversity and dynamic innovator by strengthening farmer’s seed system

• PGR organization should cultivate new partnership

What you grow today might not be what you need tomorrow

Quelle: http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/slides/ppt/05.19.ppt (courtesy Axel Drescher)

Climate change is already happening

Diseases of concern to the US major crops• Bacteria causing fire blight in apples• Ug99 + related strains of stem rust in wheat• New strains of rice blast disease• Potato blight is re-emerging

Qualset and Shands, 2005

We cannot predict which new pest or pathogen will develop or how the rain will fall next year -- but we can

use agricultural biodiversity to have a diverse set of crop varieties in agricultural systems to increase the options to buffer against an unpredictable change. This explains why on-farm conservation can play key role in future!

Thank you very much