2.4 Methods for Conservation of PGRFA
39
material conserved (see Fig. 2.7. ). On the one hand, there is the conservation of
crop wild relatives, mainly a by-product of conservation of general natural areas
in kind of - among others - biosphere or natural reserves and habitat conservation.
Only seldom and more in recent times, natural reserves are established explicitly
for the conservation of crop wild relatives. The other major part of in situ
conservation is the on-farm management for the conservation of landraces and old
cultivars. Until now programs for on-fann management of PGRF A have been
rarely implemented and rarely documented in the scientific literature.
In addition to these designed and implemented programs, on-fann conservation
of crop genetic resources is carried out by numerous farmers allover the world.
These farmers live in complex, diverse, risk-prone environments, where local
livelihoods depend on subsistence farming. They do not have the objective to
conserve landraces, but rather to produce food and other agricultural products.
The continued use and maintenance of landraces by farmers is carried out for a
complex number of anthropological and socio-economic reasons. One major
reason is that these fanners are unable to utilize modem varieties for food
production due to their socio-economic framework (see Chap. 2.2.2).
The concept of on-farm management and improvement "provides a mechanism
by which the evolutionary systems that are responsible for the generation of
variability are conserved' (Worede, 1992). The level of intra-species diversity in
PGRF A is a result of manifold impacts and does not remain static, but rather
continues to evolve. Therefore, the concept of on-farm management seeks to
enable the processes and surrounding structures, which were responsible for
creating the existing variability of landraces, in order to continue to influence the
genetic development. The advocates of this concept stress the importance of local
systems of knowledge and management, local institutions and social organization
as well as several other cultural and socio-economic factors, which determined the
diversity development in the past and which will continue to maintain and
develop the diversity at present and in the future. Where existing, the in situ
activities tend to be more decentralized, more independently organized. Existing
on-farm management programs can be categorized into:
• Targeted approaches, which prioritize the conservation impact of landraces
with significant interest at local, national, regional, or global levels.
Furthermore, the increased supply of enhanced seed for breeders and farmers
resolving from the activities are also of relevance (Altieri et al., 1987). One of
the first "targeted approaches" was initiated in 1988 in Ethiopia. In the
drought-prone areas of Welo and Shewa provinces 21 fanns were selected for
the project, covering sorghum, chickpeas, teff, field peas and maize l8 (Cooper
and Cromwell, 1994).
18 In collaboration with the national genebank, farmers select popUlations grown in their fields
by phenotype. The populations are maintained as distinct from each other, although the
system allows for pooling similar landraces and even the introgression of valuable genes
from exotic sources (Cooper and Cromwell, 1994).
39
material conserved (see Fig. 2.7. ). On the one hand, there is the conservation of
crop wild relatives, mainly a by-product of conservation of general natural areas
in kind of - among others - biosphere or natural reserves and habitat conservation.
Only seldom and more in recent times, natural reserves are established explicitly
for the conservation of crop wild relatives. The other major part of in situ
conservation is the on-farm management for the conservation of landraces and old
cultivars. Until now programs for on-fann management of PGRF A have been
rarely implemented and rarely documented in the scientific literature.
In addition to these designed and implemented programs, on-fann conservation
of crop genetic resources is carried out by numerous farmers allover the world.
These farmers live in complex, diverse, risk-prone environments, where local
livelihoods depend on subsistence farming. They do not have the objective to
conserve landraces, but rather to produce food and other agricultural products.
The continued use and maintenance of landraces by farmers is carried out for a
complex number of anthropological and socio-economic reasons. One major
reason is that these fanners are unable to utilize modem varieties for food
production due to their socio-economic framework (see Chap. 2.2.2).
The concept of on-farm management and improvement "provides a mechanism
by which the evolutionary systems that are responsible for the generation of
variability are conserved' (Worede, 1992). The level of intra-species diversity in
PGRF A is a result of manifold impacts and does not remain static, but rather
continues to evolve. Therefore, the concept of on-farm management seeks to
enable the processes and surrounding structures, which were responsible for
creating the existing variability of landraces, in order to continue to influence the
genetic development. The advocates of this concept stress the importance of local
systems of knowledge and management, local institutions and social organization
as well as several other cultural and socio-economic factors, which determined the
diversity development in the past and which will continue to maintain and
develop the diversity at present and in the future. Where existing, the in situ
activities tend to be more decentralized, more independently organized. Existing
on-farm management programs can be categorized into:
• Targeted approaches, which prioritize the conservation impact of landraces
with significant interest at local, national, regional, or global levels.
Furthermore, the increased supply of enhanced seed for breeders and farmers
resolving from the activities are also of relevance (Altieri et al., 1987). One of
the first "targeted approaches" was initiated in 1988 in Ethiopia. In the
drought-prone areas of Welo and Shewa provinces 21 fanns were selected for
the project, covering sorghum, chickpeas, teff, field peas and maize l8 (Cooper
and Cromwell, 1994).
18 In collaboration with the national genebank, farmers select popUlations grown in their fields
by phenotype. The populations are maintained as distinct from each other, although the
system allows for pooling similar landraces and even the introgression of valuable genes
from exotic sources (Cooper and Cromwell, 1994).