56
3 Economic Framework of Conservation
Furthermore, and most important for those with access to markets, farmers may
benefit from PGRFA conservation in having the possibility to buy modern
varieties' seed, which will enable them to increase or stabilize their income. This
seed is partly based on the incorporation of traits or - technically speaking -
genetically coded information derived from farmers' varieties. Consequently, the
benefit farmers receive for maintaining PGRFA today is the supply of improved
and income increasing varieties. Their introduction will, however, result in the
loss of farmers' varieties.
The private and public breeders, who provide modern varieties, utilize PGRFA
as raw material for their breeding activities. Professional breeding as well as
farmers' plant breeding are the instruments to convert the present and future needs
of the farmers, of the agricultural production processing industry, and of the
consumers into new, improved varieties; thereby risking of losing the traditional
varieties when farmers replace the traditional varieties with these improved ones.
The breeding industry knows about the interaction between genetic resources as
raw material for new breeding lines and the displacement of landraces by new
varieties, leading to the decline of the amount of genetic resources as raw material
in the field for further breeding activities. Therefore it acknowledges the ex situ
and in situ conservation as an essential task, particularly to preserve the processes
of crop evolution (LeBuanec, 1996). Furthermore, the private sector is interested
in the conservation, characterizing, evaluation, and regeneration of PGRFA
(Cambolive-Piat, 1996).
According to a survey carried out by WCMC, approximately 7% of the utilized
germplasm for breeding is annually incorporated from ex or in situ conserved
supply into the existing breeding material (WCMC, 1996). Even though this result
seems to overestimate the importance of genetically coded information from
landraces, the turnover of landraces in breeding activities is increasing. Smale
(1996a) points out that since the late 1970s wheat crosses in a sample of 800
wheats released by breeding programs in developing countries contain an average
of one new landrace per year in their pedigrees. Because constant breeding
improvements can be made even within a very narrow base (Wych and
Rasmusson, 1983), breeders will access other sources of genetic resources only if
they are easily accessible and if they are searching for a single specific trait or
characteristic. Some studies analyzing the germplasm base of crop species are
supporting the idea that breeders have used only a fraction of existing PGRFA
while breeding in the past (Fischbeck, 1992; Goodman, 1985). In addition to
utilizing the material value for the short- and medium-term perspectives, breeding
companies are also interested in the long-term perspective of the heritable value of
genetically coded information.
The biotechnology industry, as one of the major players on the demand side of
biodiversity in general, utilizes genetically coded information originating from
PGRF A as raw material for new, genetically engineered plants for agriculture as
well as for other products (von Braun and Virchow, 1997). Benefiting by the
breeding value, the biotechnology industry is not only improving agronomic
interesting traits, but is creating food crop varieties with strong medical impact as
well, varieties enriched with micro-nutrients, for example.
3 Economic Framework of Conservation
Furthermore, and most important for those with access to markets, farmers may
benefit from PGRFA conservation in having the possibility to buy modern
varieties' seed, which will enable them to increase or stabilize their income. This
seed is partly based on the incorporation of traits or - technically speaking -
genetically coded information derived from farmers' varieties. Consequently, the
benefit farmers receive for maintaining PGRFA today is the supply of improved
and income increasing varieties. Their introduction will, however, result in the
loss of farmers' varieties.
The private and public breeders, who provide modern varieties, utilize PGRFA
as raw material for their breeding activities. Professional breeding as well as
farmers' plant breeding are the instruments to convert the present and future needs
of the farmers, of the agricultural production processing industry, and of the
consumers into new, improved varieties; thereby risking of losing the traditional
varieties when farmers replace the traditional varieties with these improved ones.
The breeding industry knows about the interaction between genetic resources as
raw material for new breeding lines and the displacement of landraces by new
varieties, leading to the decline of the amount of genetic resources as raw material
in the field for further breeding activities. Therefore it acknowledges the ex situ
and in situ conservation as an essential task, particularly to preserve the processes
of crop evolution (LeBuanec, 1996). Furthermore, the private sector is interested
in the conservation, characterizing, evaluation, and regeneration of PGRFA
(Cambolive-Piat, 1996).
According to a survey carried out by WCMC, approximately 7% of the utilized
germplasm for breeding is annually incorporated from ex or in situ conserved
supply into the existing breeding material (WCMC, 1996). Even though this result
seems to overestimate the importance of genetically coded information from
landraces, the turnover of landraces in breeding activities is increasing. Smale
(1996a) points out that since the late 1970s wheat crosses in a sample of 800
wheats released by breeding programs in developing countries contain an average
of one new landrace per year in their pedigrees. Because constant breeding
improvements can be made even within a very narrow base (Wych and
Rasmusson, 1983), breeders will access other sources of genetic resources only if
they are easily accessible and if they are searching for a single specific trait or
characteristic. Some studies analyzing the germplasm base of crop species are
supporting the idea that breeders have used only a fraction of existing PGRFA
while breeding in the past (Fischbeck, 1992; Goodman, 1985). In addition to
utilizing the material value for the short- and medium-term perspectives, breeding
companies are also interested in the long-term perspective of the heritable value of
genetically coded information.
The biotechnology industry, as one of the major players on the demand side of
biodiversity in general, utilizes genetically coded information originating from
PGRF A as raw material for new, genetically engineered plants for agriculture as
well as for other products (von Braun and Virchow, 1997). Benefiting by the
breeding value, the biotechnology industry is not only improving agronomic
interesting traits, but is creating food crop varieties with strong medical impact as
well, varieties enriched with micro-nutrients, for example.