Community Biodiversity Management: Promoting resilience and the conservation of plant genetic resources (Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity)

The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are issues that have been high on the policy agenda since the first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. As part of efforts to implement __in situ__ conservation, a methodology referred to as community biodiversity management (CBM) has been developed by those engaged in this arena. CBM contributes to the empowerment of farming communities to manage their biological resources and make informed decisions on the conservation and use of agrobiodiversity. This book is the first to set out a clear overview of CBM as a methodology for meeting socio-environmental changes. CBM is shown to be a key strategy that promotes community resilience, and contributes to the conservation of plant genetic resources. The authors present the underlying concepts and theories of CBM as well as itsmethodology and practices, and introduce case studies primarily from Brazil, Ethiopia, France**,** India, and Nepal. Contributors include farmers, leaders of farmers’ organizations, professionals from conservation and development organizations, students and scientists. The book offers inspiration to all those involved in the conservation and use of agrobiodiversity within livelihood development and presents ideas for the implementation of farmers’ rights. The wide collection of experiences illustrates the efforts made by communities throughout the world to cope with change while using diversity and engaging in learning processes. It links these grassroots efforts with debates in policy arenas as a means to respond to the unpredictable changes, such as climate change, that communities face in sustaining their livelihoods. Community Biodiversity Management Promoting resilience and the conservation of plant genetic resources 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of contributors 13 Foreword 23 Preface and acknowledgements 25 List of abbreviations 29 Part I: Community biodiversity management and in situ conservation 36 1.1 General introduction 38 1.2 The evolution of community biodiversity management as a methodology for implementing in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity in Nepal 46 1.3 Community biodiversity management: defined and contextualized 54 1.4 On-farm management of plant genetic resources through community seed banks in Ethiopia 61 1.5 The diversity kit: restoring farmers’ sovereignty over food, seed and genetic resources in Guaraciaba, Brazil 67 1.6 Practices that contribute to the empowerment of farming communities for managing their agrobiodiversity in Asia 72 1.7 The Maison de la Semence Paysanne and diversity platform: promoting agrobiodiversity in France 78 1.8 Community biodiversity management and in situ conservation of plant genetic resources 86 Part II: Practices contributing to community biodiversity management 98 2.1 Practices contributing to community biodiversity management: introduction 100 2.2 Enhancing awareness of the value of local biodiversity in Nepal 107 2.3 Practices that contribute to promoting and appreciating Andean crops and identity in Cotacachi, Ecuador 112 2.4 Community biodiversity registers in Nepal: enhancing the capabilities of communities to document, monitor and take control over their genetic resources 118 2.5 Gene banks that promote on-farm management through the reintroduction of local varieties in Brazil 126 2.6 Community seed reserves: enhancing sovereignty and resilience in Central America 131 2.7 Community seed banks in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil 137 2.8 The community seed bank: a common driver for community biodiversity management 144 2.9 Community biodiversity management fund: promoting conservation through livelihood development in Nepal 153 Part III: People, biodiversity and landscapes 158 3.1 People, biodiversity and landscapes: introduction 160 3.2 Traditional people and the conservation of biodiversity in Brazil 168 3.3 Opportunities for ethnobotany to contribute to community biodiversity management 176 3.4 The domestication of landscapes and cultural keystone species in a context of community biodiversity management in Brazil 180 3.5 Caívas and their contribution to the conservation of Atlantic forest landscapes in Brazil 186 3.6 Community management of forest coffee landscapes in Ethiopia 191 3.7 Promoting the community management of garcinia genetic resources in the central Western Ghats, India 198 3.8 The sustainable development reserve: an option for securing livelihoods in Imbituba, Brazil 204 Part IV: Agrobiodiversity, livelihoods and markets 210 4.1 Agrobiodiversity, livelihoods and markets: introduction 212 4.2 Value addition and marketing of local citrus products in Nepal 223 4.3 Creating an economic stake for conserving the diversity of small millets in the Kolli Hills, India 229 4.4 Value chain development and the regional branding of Kalajeera rice in Jeypore, India 236 4.5 Marketing local rice varieties in Vietnam, supported by their participatory genetic enhancement and intellectual property rights 242 4.6 The dynamic management and regional marketing of a local wheat variety by farmers in the Lubéron, France 248 Part V: Participatory crop improvement in a context of community biodiversity management 252 5.1 Participatory crop improvement in a context of community biodiversity management: introduction 254 5.2 Grassroots breeding of local crops and varieties in support of community biodiversity management and resilience in Nepal 268 5.3 Participatory domestication of the fruit tree species feijoa (Acca sellowiana) in Brazil 275 5.4 Farmer and participatory maize breeding: increasing farmers’ autonomy and promoting the use of diversity in France 281 5.5 Participatory genetic enhancement of the Jethobudho rice variety in Nepal 288 5.6 Providing scientific support to farmers using local rice diversity in Jeypore, India 294 5.7 The participatory genetic enhancement of a local maize variety in Brazil 300 5.8 Participatory crop improvement in Central America: encouraging farmers to use local varieties 307 5.9 Participatory varietal selection for enhancing farmers’ access to quality seed in Ethiopia 314 5.10 Supporting farmers’ access to the global gene pool and participatory selection in taro in the Pacific 320 Part VI: Community biodiversity management, genetic resource policies and rights 326 6.1 Genetic resource policies and rights: opportunities and limitations for community biodiversity management 328 6.2 Farmers’ rights in times of change: illusion or reality? 341 6.3 Farmers’ rights, their scope and legal protection in India 349 6.4 Access and benefit-sharing: putting a global legal concept into practice through local initiatives 355 6.5 Access and benefit-sharing in Brazil: towards the appropriation of the commons 362 6.6 The European Union directive on conservation varieties and its incompatibility with on-farm management of plant genetic resources 367 6.7 Local varieties, informal seed systems and the Seed Law: reflections from Brazil 373 6.8 Seed and variety regulations: obstructing informal seed systems and the use of local varieties by farmers in Europe 380 Part VII: Community biodiversity management and resilience 386 7.1 New professionalism and governance in plant genetic resource management 388 7.2 Community biodiversity management and empowerment 400 7.3 Community biodiversity management: promoting resilience 413 References 422 Index 441 The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are issues that have been high on the policy agenda since the first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. As part of efforts to implement in situ conservation, a methodology referred to as community biodiversity management (CBM) has been developed by those engaged in this arena. CBM contributes to the empowerment of farming communities to manage their biological resources and make informed decisions on the conservation and use of agrobiodiversity. This book is the first to set out a clear overview of CBM as a methodology for meeting socio-environmental changes. CBM is shown to be a key strategy that promotes community resilience, and contributes to the conservation of plant genetic resources. The authors present the underlying concepts and theories of CBM as well as its methodology and practices, and introduce case studies primarily from Brazil, Ethiopia, France , India, and Nepal. Contributors include farmers, leaders of farmers’ organizations, professionals from conservation and development organizations, students and scientists. The book offers inspiration to all those involved in the conservation and use of agrobiodiversity within livelihood development and presents ideas for the implementation of farmers’ rights. The wide collection of experiences illustrates the efforts made by communities throughout the world to cope with change while using diversity and engaging in learning processes. It links these grassroots efforts with debates in policy arenas as a means to respond to the unpredictable changes, such as climate change, that communities face in sustaining their livelihoods. "The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the environments where this diversity originated or is being used, are issues which are high on the policy agenda. This book is the first to set out a clear overview of community biodiversity management (CBM) as an approach to meet social, economic and environmental change"-- Provided by publisher