Abstract
Local seed systems remain the fundamental source of seeds for many crops in developing countries. Climate resilience for small holder farmers continues to depend largely on locally available seeds of traditional crop varieties. High rainfall events can have as significant an impact on crop production as increased temperatures and drought. This article analyzes the dynamics of maize diversity over 3 years in a farming community of Yucatán state, Mexico, where elevated levels of precipitation forced farmers in 2012 to reduce maize diversity in their plots. We study how farmers maintained their agroecosystem resilience through seed networks, examining the drivers influencing maize diversity and seed provisioning in the year preceding and following the 2012 climatic disturbance (2011–2013). We found that, under these challenging circumstances, farmers focused their efforts on their most reliable landraces, disregarding hybrids. We show that farmers were able to recover and restore the diversity usually cultivated in the community in the year following the critical climate event. The maize dynamic assessed in this study demonstrates the importance of community level conservation of crop diversity. Understanding farmer management strategies of agrobiodiversity, especially during a challenging climatic period, is necessary to promote a more tailored response to climate change in traditional farming systems.
Highlights
The exchange and marketing of seeds among farmers continue to shape crop populations across the Global South (Almekinders et al 1994; Coomes et al 2015; McGuire and Sperling 2016)
During a 3-year study on maize crop diversity management, we encountered a critical climate event that revealed patterns underlying seed networks possibly limiting the resilience of local seed systems
Identifying farmers’ choices about what varieties to sow in a time of crisis, we found that farmers focused more on maize landraces and locally improved or locally adapted varieties and turned away from hybrids
Summary
The exchange and marketing of seeds among farmers continue to shape crop populations across the Global South (Almekinders et al 1994; Coomes et al 2015; McGuire and Sperling 2016). Much of the world’s farming population continues to rely on landraces, called farmer varieties or traditional varieties, to meet their production needs (Jarvis et al 2008, 2011; López-Noriega et al 2012). Supporting seed networks among farmers with local and new varieties is fundamental to a successful climate adaptation strategy attentive to farmers’ needs (Bellon and van Etten 2014; Hellin et al 2014). This strategy requires an understanding of seed management, which can adapt the availability of crop diversity to new conditions (López-Noriega et al 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
