184 7 Conclusions for PGRFA Conservation Policy and further Research Issues
communications, a reduction in restrictive regulations, the availability of capital
and property protection.
The breeding industry needs support from public sector investment,
particularly for the information processing and prebreeding activities, which
represent long-term and high-risk programs of basic research especially in
countries with an emerging breeding industry, like India, but also in countries with
a majority of medium- and small-scale breeding companies, like Germany. These
programs compete for resources with other long-term, but basic and applied
research in the private breeding sector (Smith and Salhuana, 1996). The private
investments are safer and higher when utilizing elite germplasm because of higher
risks of failing when utilizing exotic germplasm and because of time constraints
for the production of new varieties. Aside from increasing the attractiveness of
PGRF A in genebanks by carrying out information processing and prebreeding,
this task - carried out by genebanks and financed from the public sector - can be
seen as support for all (private, public, and informal) breeding efforts. There are
already some collaborative efforts among private seed industry with national and
international public conservation facilities to support regeneration and evaluation,
providing seed and information J05 . More of these collaborations between breeders
and genebank managers will eventually lead to a more intensive use of landraces
in breeding programs.
Furthermore, the breeding industry could cooperate with farmers in marginal
areas. While the private sector's influence is currently rudimentary in marginal
areas, because of poor infrastructure or the site-specific needs are of less interest
to the private sector, cooperation with the individual breeding of farmers in
marginal areas could, however, produce outputs of some interest for the breeding
sector in the long run. Consequently, the breeding sector should support these
farmers with seed and other inputs.
The final cooperation recommended is institutional linkages. As has been
shown in the Indian and German case study, in situ conservation often involves
institutions (ministries responsible for forestry and environment) other than those
which have prime responsibility for ex situ conservation (the Ministry of
Agriculture). Additionally, NGOs often play an important role in in situ
management. These conservation efforts, however, are rarely coordinated between
different "informal" activities as well as between NGOs' and public activities.
Therefore effective co-ordination is necessary, thereby strengthening linkages
between all formal and informal institutions and their ex situ and in situ
conservation efforts. The " conservation and service centers" could take over the
responsibility for such institutional linkages.
lOS E.g., Latin American Maize Project (LAMP): its objective is to conserve and evaluate maize
landraces in a five year project, financially supported by the private seed industry (Pioneer
Hi-Bred International, Inc.) in cooperation with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile,
Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and USA (Smith and Salhuana,
1996), or the financial, human, and field assistance for the regeneration of CIMMYT's maize
accessions (Smith and Salhuana, 1996).
communications, a reduction in restrictive regulations, the availability of capital
and property protection.
The breeding industry needs support from public sector investment,
particularly for the information processing and prebreeding activities, which
represent long-term and high-risk programs of basic research especially in
countries with an emerging breeding industry, like India, but also in countries with
a majority of medium- and small-scale breeding companies, like Germany. These
programs compete for resources with other long-term, but basic and applied
research in the private breeding sector (Smith and Salhuana, 1996). The private
investments are safer and higher when utilizing elite germplasm because of higher
risks of failing when utilizing exotic germplasm and because of time constraints
for the production of new varieties. Aside from increasing the attractiveness of
PGRF A in genebanks by carrying out information processing and prebreeding,
this task - carried out by genebanks and financed from the public sector - can be
seen as support for all (private, public, and informal) breeding efforts. There are
already some collaborative efforts among private seed industry with national and
international public conservation facilities to support regeneration and evaluation,
providing seed and information J05 . More of these collaborations between breeders
and genebank managers will eventually lead to a more intensive use of landraces
in breeding programs.
Furthermore, the breeding industry could cooperate with farmers in marginal
areas. While the private sector's influence is currently rudimentary in marginal
areas, because of poor infrastructure or the site-specific needs are of less interest
to the private sector, cooperation with the individual breeding of farmers in
marginal areas could, however, produce outputs of some interest for the breeding
sector in the long run. Consequently, the breeding sector should support these
farmers with seed and other inputs.
The final cooperation recommended is institutional linkages. As has been
shown in the Indian and German case study, in situ conservation often involves
institutions (ministries responsible for forestry and environment) other than those
which have prime responsibility for ex situ conservation (the Ministry of
Agriculture). Additionally, NGOs often play an important role in in situ
management. These conservation efforts, however, are rarely coordinated between
different "informal" activities as well as between NGOs' and public activities.
Therefore effective co-ordination is necessary, thereby strengthening linkages
between all formal and informal institutions and their ex situ and in situ
conservation efforts. The " conservation and service centers" could take over the
responsibility for such institutional linkages.
lOS E.g., Latin American Maize Project (LAMP): its objective is to conserve and evaluate maize
landraces in a five year project, financially supported by the private seed industry (Pioneer
Hi-Bred International, Inc.) in cooperation with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile,
Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and USA (Smith and Salhuana,
1996), or the financial, human, and field assistance for the regeneration of CIMMYT's maize
accessions (Smith and Salhuana, 1996).