Decentralized-participatory plant breeding: an example of demand driven research |
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Authors: | Salvatore Ceccarelli Stefania Grando |
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Institution: | (1) The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria |
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Abstract: | It is widely recognized that conventional plant breeding has been more beneficial to farmers in high-potential environments
or those who can profitably modify their environment to suit new cultivars, than to the poorest farmers who cannot afford
to modify their environment through the application of additional inputs and cannot risk the replacement of their traditional,
well known and reliable varieties. As a consequence, low yields, crop failures, malnutrition, famine, and eventually poverty
still affect a large proportion of humanity. Participatory plant breeding (PPB) is seen by several scientists as a way to
overcome the limitations of conventional breeding by offering farmers the possibility to choose, in their own environment,
which varieties suit better their needs and conditions. PPB exploits the potential gains of breeding for specific adaptation
through decentralized selection, defined as selection in the target environment, and is the ultimate conceptual consequence
of a positive interpretation of genotype × environment interactions. The paper describes a model of PPB developed by The International
Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and used successfully in several countries in West Asia and North Africa.
Genetic variability is generated by breeders, selection is conducted jointly by breeders, farmers, and extension specialists
in a number of target environments, and the best selections are used in further cycles of recombination and selection. Technically,
the process is similar to conventional breeding, with three main differences. Testing and selection take place on-farm rather
than on-station, key decisions are taken jointly by farmers and the breeder, and the process can be independently implemented
at a large number of locations. The model also incorporates seed production. Farmers handle the initial phases, multiplying
promising breeding material in village-based seed production systems. The PPB model is flexible; it can generate populations,
pure lines, and eventually mixtures of pure lines in self-pollinated crops; as well as hybrids, populations, and synthetics
in cross-pollinated crops. PPB has several advantages. New varieties reach the release phase much faster than in conventional
breeding, and are better suited to farmers’ needs and willingness to invest in inputs and management. Release and seed multiplication
activities concentrate on varieties known to be farmer-acceptable. These advantages are particularly relevant to developing
countries where large investments in plant breeding have not yielded returns, and many “improved” varieties developed through
conventional breeding are not adopted by farmers. PPB also ensures that biodiversity is maintained or increased because different
varieties are selected at different locations. In addition to the economical benefits, participatory research has a number
of psychological, moral, and ethical benefits, which are the consequence of a progressive empowerment of the farmers’ communities;
these benefits affect sectors of their life beyond the agricultural aspects. In conclusion, PPB, as a case of demand driven
research, gives voice to farmers, including those who have been traditionally the most marginalized such as the women, and
elevates local knowledge to the role of science. |
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Keywords: | Decentralized selection Genotype × environment interaction Biodiversity |
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