58
3 Economic Framework of Conservation
reduced. Although there is no specific price identified for the supply of PGRFA,
there has never been such a huge potential supply of PGRFA than at present. This
situation is not the result of increased diversity in farmers' fields, but the
improvement of infrastructure has increased the transaction and therefore the
availability of PGRFA. On the one hand, the information and transaction
infrastructure for the ex situ conserved accessions increases its efficiency, through
improved utilization of electronic information systems and technologies for
identification of genetic diversity as well as an increased networking of the
genebanks. Consequently, the search and exchange costs for bona fide users are
presently decreasing. On the other hand, the information of what is still in
farmers' fields is increasing in quality and quantity because of on-going
inventories and surveys. Therefore, the knowledge of potential PGRFA material is
easier to build up and to be widespread.
Even though the current situation gives the impression of a sufficient supply of
PGRFA, this does not mean an increase in the renewable part of PGRFA. As has
been shown in Chapter 2.2, the total amount of varieties in farmers' fields is
decreasing, leading to a reduction in varietal diversity. The loss of traditional
varieties is determined, above all, by the production decision at the farm level (see
in Chap. 2.2.2). The production decision of a farmer to utilize either the old,
traditional varieties or the modern varieties has, after all, an impact on the overall
situation of the genetic diversity in situ. This external effect will be thoroughly
discussed in detail below.
The farmers' decisions to utilize modern varieties lead to the reduction of land
cultivated with specific traditional varieties. If all farmers who cultivated a
specific variety replace it with modern varieties, that traditional variety will
disappear from farmers' fields. Each farmer will make his or her decision based on
their private marginal benefits and marginal costs, which do not reflect the social
costs of the variety loss. Depending on the population dynamics of each variety,
less than one hectare of cultivated area is, however, sufficient to conserve one
variety (Bucken, 1997). Technically speaking, the transformation of land under
traditional varieties to modern varieties, characterizing the loss of traditional
varieties, is an environmental damage with a very high buffer capacity,
determined by the specific ecological threshold effects (Perrings and Pearce,
1994). Consequently, the negative external effect gains importance only with an
increasing number of farmers making the same decision. In other words, the
environmental damage curve representing the loss of a traditional variety due to
land conversion from a traditional variety to modern varieties is increasing by
increased land conversion (Swanson et aI., 1994).
Farmers are often characterized in the literature as the main load-bearing actors
of in situ conservation of PGRFA (e.g., Altieri and Montecinos, 1993). Except for
hobby cultivation mainly in industrialized countries, farmers do not, however,
maintain PGRFA diversity for its own sake and in accordance with the three
objectives of PGRFA conservation. Thus, in situ conservation of PGRFA diversity
is a positive externality of the farm activities, based on the farmers' private benefit
expectations for other reasons (see Chap. 3.3). Hence, resource-poor as well as
resource-rich farmers may produce PGRFA diversity without additional costs.
3 Economic Framework of Conservation
reduced. Although there is no specific price identified for the supply of PGRFA,
there has never been such a huge potential supply of PGRFA than at present. This
situation is not the result of increased diversity in farmers' fields, but the
improvement of infrastructure has increased the transaction and therefore the
availability of PGRFA. On the one hand, the information and transaction
infrastructure for the ex situ conserved accessions increases its efficiency, through
improved utilization of electronic information systems and technologies for
identification of genetic diversity as well as an increased networking of the
genebanks. Consequently, the search and exchange costs for bona fide users are
presently decreasing. On the other hand, the information of what is still in
farmers' fields is increasing in quality and quantity because of on-going
inventories and surveys. Therefore, the knowledge of potential PGRFA material is
easier to build up and to be widespread.
Even though the current situation gives the impression of a sufficient supply of
PGRFA, this does not mean an increase in the renewable part of PGRFA. As has
been shown in Chapter 2.2, the total amount of varieties in farmers' fields is
decreasing, leading to a reduction in varietal diversity. The loss of traditional
varieties is determined, above all, by the production decision at the farm level (see
in Chap. 2.2.2). The production decision of a farmer to utilize either the old,
traditional varieties or the modern varieties has, after all, an impact on the overall
situation of the genetic diversity in situ. This external effect will be thoroughly
discussed in detail below.
The farmers' decisions to utilize modern varieties lead to the reduction of land
cultivated with specific traditional varieties. If all farmers who cultivated a
specific variety replace it with modern varieties, that traditional variety will
disappear from farmers' fields. Each farmer will make his or her decision based on
their private marginal benefits and marginal costs, which do not reflect the social
costs of the variety loss. Depending on the population dynamics of each variety,
less than one hectare of cultivated area is, however, sufficient to conserve one
variety (Bucken, 1997). Technically speaking, the transformation of land under
traditional varieties to modern varieties, characterizing the loss of traditional
varieties, is an environmental damage with a very high buffer capacity,
determined by the specific ecological threshold effects (Perrings and Pearce,
1994). Consequently, the negative external effect gains importance only with an
increasing number of farmers making the same decision. In other words, the
environmental damage curve representing the loss of a traditional variety due to
land conversion from a traditional variety to modern varieties is increasing by
increased land conversion (Swanson et aI., 1994).
Farmers are often characterized in the literature as the main load-bearing actors
of in situ conservation of PGRFA (e.g., Altieri and Montecinos, 1993). Except for
hobby cultivation mainly in industrialized countries, farmers do not, however,
maintain PGRFA diversity for its own sake and in accordance with the three
objectives of PGRFA conservation. Thus, in situ conservation of PGRFA diversity
is a positive externality of the farm activities, based on the farmers' private benefit
expectations for other reasons (see Chap. 3.3). Hence, resource-poor as well as
resource-rich farmers may produce PGRFA diversity without additional costs.