Agrobiodiversity Conservation Research Articles

Evaluation of shoot-growth variation in diverse carrot (Daucus carota L.) germplasm for genetic improvement of stand establishment.

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is a high value, nutritious, and colorful crop, but delivering carrots from seed to table can be a struggle for carrot growers. Weed competitive ability is a critical trait for crop success that carrot and its apiaceous relatives often lack owing to their characteristic slow shoot growth and erratic seedling emergence, even among genetically uniform lines. This study is the first field-based, multi-year experiment to evaluate shoot-growth trait variation over a 100-day growing season in a carrot diversity panel (N=695) that includes genetically diverse carrot accessions from the United States Department of Agriculture National Plant Germplasm System. We report phenotypic variability for shoot-growth characteristics, the first broad-sense heritability estimates for seedling emergence (0.68 < H2 < 0.80) and early-season canopy coverage ( 0.61 < H2 < 0.65), and consistent broad-sense heritability for late-season canopy height (0.76 < H2 < 0.82), indicating quantitative inheritance and potential for improvement through plant breeding. Strong correlation between emergence and canopy coverage (0.62 < r < 0.72) suggests that improvement of seedling emergence has great potential to increase yield and weed competitive ability. Accessions with high emergence and vigorous canopy growth are of immediate use to breeders targeting stand establishment, weed-tolerance, or weed-suppressant carrots, which is of particular advantage to the organic carrot production sector, reducing the costs and labor associated with herbicide application and weeding. We developed a standardized vocabulary and protocol to describe shoot-growth and facilitate collaboration and communication across carrot research groups. Our study facilitates identification and utilization of carrot genetic resources, conservation of agrobiodiversity, and development of breeding stocks for weed-competitive ability, with the long-term goal of delivering improved carrot cultivars to breeders, growers, and consumers. Accession selection can be further optimized for efficient breeding by combining shoot growth data with phenological data in this study's companion paper to identify ideotypes based on global market needs.

Agro-Food Supply Chains in Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Do They Contribute to Preserve Local Biodiversity? The Case of Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park

Peri-urban regions, especially in the Mediterranean, face challenges like farmland loss due to urban pressure. This study emphasizes retail stores as strategic focal points for evaluating societal, economic, and production systems. It hypothesizes that analyzing retail stores in agricultural areas provides insights into traded and cultivated agrobiodiversity. Using the Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) as a case study, this research examines different food retailers from short and conventional food supply chains. Results indicate variations in plant diversity, origin, and seasonality among different retail stores. Farmers’ markets exhibit higher intraspecific diversity, contributing to local agrobiodiversity conservation. This study observes temporal changes in farmers’ markets, highlighting shifts influenced by socioeconomic factors and climate change perceptions. Finally, this research underscores certain strategies to promote sustainable peri-urban local food systems and preserve agrobiodiversity, offering valuable insights into food supply chain dynamics in peri-urban agricultural regions.

Local perceptions of the benefits versus negative impacts of weedy grasses in central Madagascar, with a focus on the genus Digitaria

Societal Impact StatementPlants and agricultural practices are an integral part of human food systems and well‐being. Here, an example of an ethnobotanical research approach is provided to increase our understanding of the relationship between plants and human activities in Madagascar, where the agricultural sector is the local economy basis. This research examines weeds of the Poaceae family, assessing their recognition and societal impacts, and quantifying farmers' perception of the Poaceae weed's status in cropping systems. A better understanding of farmers' weed knowledge will strengthen our ability to inclusively support rural highland Malagasy food systems, incorporating science with traditional knowledge.Summary Research on the perceptions and knowledge of Poaceae weeds was conducted in three areas of Madagascar's central highlands: Itremo massif, Ambohidray village and Vakinankaratra region. This work aims to identify the best‐known species and understand their roles in crop and livestock systems. Additionally, it presents detailed data on Digitaria species. The approach was based on field surveys and farmer's interviews, with plant voucher specimens and photographs to facilitate identification. Relative frequency of citations, confidence interval, and use values indexes were calculated to assess cultural significance. We carried out 111 interviews, where 87 taxa were mentioned, of which 51 are Poaceae, including 11 Digitaria species. Farmers classify the Poaceae weeds in three ways: their impacts on agricultural activities, use category and vegetative growth patterns, the latter especially significant for Digitaria. Locally common grasses are perceived as weeds when they are abundant and cause yield loss. The most damaging species is Digitaria humbertii, confirmed by half of the interviews. More than 40% of the farmers use Poaceae weeds in composting, more than 20% as fodder, and more than 8% as medicine. Overall, 67% of the species mentioned are judged useful. The diversity of useful species and the associated indigenous knowledge is important to the local communities, but, weeds are still perceived as negative generally. The Poaceae are overall neglected in Malagasy ethnobotany, and an in‐depth analysis of farmer knowledge is needed. The data obtained will be useful for future studies and the conservation of agrobiodiversity, especially endemic species that are not widely known.

Multipurpose, climate-resilient agroforestry in the Eastern Himalayas

Traditional, small-scale agroforestry systems offer a range of socioecological, sociocultural, and socioeconomic benefits for communities in the Eastern Himalayan region. Successfully managed by Indigenous farmers for generations, these systems involve intricate farming practices that integrate trees, shrubs, crops, and livestock, while avoiding any dependence on modern agricultural technologies like mechanisation or chemical inputs. The Eastern Himalayan region is home to seven agroforestry practices: farm-based, forest-based, large cardamom-based, mandarin-based, crops/mixed trees-based, slash-and-burn based, and tea-garden-based. The output-to-input ratio is highest for tea-based agroforestry and lowest for farm-based agroforestry. Farmers should carefully consider their choice of agroforestry system to suit their circumstances, but each system contributes to livelihood improvement, biodiversity conservation, and ecological sustainability. Several of the systems support high-value cash crops and they all provide a variety of functions and services, including maintaining soil fertility, conserving resources, enhancing productivity, and reducing erosion. They also support a remarkable level of crop diversity and preserve genetic resources, contributing to agrobiodiversity conservation. These traditional agroforestry systems, therefore, offer a sustainable approach to agriculture, balancing short-term food and livelihood needs with long-term environmental conservation. Research is now needed to assess gaps, especially related to multipurpose trees, to ensure the resilience and sustainability of these systems in the face of socioeconomic shifts.

Conservation of genetic resources of farm animals

The problem of preserving the genetic resources of farm animals and breed diversity is one of the priorities in the global livestock industry. As of September 1, 2023, the State Breeding Register of the Russian Federation registered 83 gene pool farms for breeding 63 breeds of 16 species of farm animals, of which 42 are domestic breeds bred in 23 of the 89 constituents of the Russian Federation. As a consequence, it requires the creation of a national system for preserving the gene pool of farm animals based on legislative, economic and biological principles for them. The main centers of breeds formation and the current state of the local breeds in the Russian Federation have been examined in detail in the article. Ways to improve the legislative framework in the fi eld of preserving breed diversity and economic stimulation of gene pool farms were proposed. At the same time, the optimal approach for the selection of small in number local breeds is the use of traditional evaluation of their breeding value together with genotyping for a number of specific genetic markers. The authors have developed appropriate proposals for the conservation of the gene pool of national breeds of farm animals such as: 1) the adoption of the Federal Law on the Conservation of Agrobiodiversity and the creation of an Advisory Council under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences for the conservation of gene pool breeds of animals; 2) the formation of a network of gene pool farms for the main types of farm animals, with their inventory at the genetic level, the creation of information bases and the Federal Bank for the cryopreservation of semen, embryos and DNA of animals of gene pool breeds with budgetary fi nancing of gene pool livestock.

Composition and diversity of woody plant species in agro-ecosystems of Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania

Woody plant species are important components of agro-ecosystems that determine their productivity and biodiversity conservation in tropical mountain landscapes. This study investigates woody plant species composition and diversity through simple random sampling of sixty (10 × 10 m) plots in crop fields, hedgerows, and homegardens at Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro, Tanzania. In total, 85 woody plant species, representing 82 genera and 40 families were recorded. The most species-rich families were Proteaceae (with 323 individuals), Lauraceae (205), and Meliaceae (185). Among the woody plant species, Grevillea robusta (Proteaceae) showed the highest importance value index of 41% across different agro-ecosystem types. Shannon (1.87), Simpson (0.82), and evenness (0.91) diversity indices were highest in hedgerows compared to other agro-ecosystems. Hedgerows recorded the maximum richness, followed by homegardens and lastly crop fields. Present agro-ecosystems should be promoted to enhance the restoration and conservation of agro-biodiversity in mountain landscapes.

Fields of contestation and contamination: Maize seeds, agroecology and the (de)coloniality of agriculture in Malawi and South Africa

Farmer-managed seed systems and the conservation of agrobiodiversity are increasingly recognized as important components of food and seed sovereignty. In contrast, hybrid, genetically modified (GM), and, increasingly, gene-edited crops continue to be promoted by Green Revolution proponents as a “climate smart” package that includes fertilizers, pesticides, purchased seeds, and links to global markets. Influencing seed laws and policies to support the uptake of modern crop varieties has been a key entry point in many countries, facilitated by networks of foreign donors, philanthropists, governments, and multinational companies. Using the case of South Africa, where GM crops have been grown for several decades, we provide insights on implications for Malawi, which passed a Seed Act in 2022, implicitly supporting GM crops. Both countries have histories of colonial agriculture with strong policy support for modern, hybrid varieties of maize, and the replacement (and displacement) of local, open-pollinated maize varieties. In South Africa, several studies have revealed the contamination of smallholder fields and seed systems. Through a political ecology lens, we explore how maize and its cotechnologies were commodified in South Africa and Malawi, and what South African experiences of GM crop adoption in smallholder farming systems can tell us about the challenges to be faced by smallholder Malawian farmers. We reveal how colonial histories and ongoing colonialities of power, knowledge, being, and nature continue to shape the character and form of agriculture in both countries, running counter to the needs of agroecological smallholder farmers and their ways of knowing and being. We conclude by envisioning what reimagined, transformed and decolonial approaches for food and agriculture might look like on the African continent, and how they might contribute toward the attainment of food and seed sovereignty and an agroecological future.

Fruit quality and shelf-life of Sardinian tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) landraces

The conservation and characterization of landraces have key roles in the safeguarding and valorization of agrobiodiversity. Indeed, these plant genetic resources represent an important crop heritage with quality and sensory characteristics that can be of great use to consumers and industry. In addition, the preservation of genetic resources from the risk of progressive genetic erosion, and the enhancement of their potential can contribute to food security and improve the nutritional value of food. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate a collection of Sardinian tomato landraces for parameters that have determinant roles in evaluating their responses to conservation, and therefore to consumer acceptance. Six Sardinian landraces and two commercial varieties were cultivated in a two-years off-season trial, harvested at two different maturity stages (turning, red-ripe) and characterized using 14 fruit-related quality parameters that define the marketability, nutritional value, and flavor of the fruit. Data were collected at intervals of 10 days, starting from the harvest date and over 30 days of storage under refrigeration. The simultaneous analysis of all the qualitative characteristics for the different genotypes allowed to clearly differentiate the local varieties from the commercial varieties and a few landraces emerged for their satisfactory performances, e.g. “Tamatta kaki” ad "Tamatta groga de appiccai". In particular, the “Tamatta groga de appiccai” showed satisfactory lycopene content at marketable stages (average 5.65 mg 100g-1 FF), a peculiar orange-pink color with the highest hue angle values (range: H°T0 = 72.55—H°T30 = 48.26), and the highest firmness among the landraces of the red-ripe group (range: EpT0 = 1.64—EpT30 = 0.54 N mm-1). These results highlight the potential of some of the Sardinian tomato landraces for developing new varieties or promoting their direct valorization in local markets and could considerably increase the effectiveness and efficiency of agrobiodiversity conservation strategies.

Integrating in situ conservation of plant genetic resources with ex situ conservation management: Involving custodian farmers, benefits and their willingness to accept compensation

Compensation for custodian farmers to provide agrobiodiversity-conservation services in their farms (in situ) is an emerging global approach because it can generate public benefits when it comes to important plant genetic resources (PGRs) for food and agriculture. This review focused on: i) the integration of in situ conservation to the PGR management involving custodian farmers in a systematic conservation approach; ii) the private benefits obtained by custodian farmers to increase their willingness to actively participate in the conservation service; and iii) the willingness to accept (WTA) compensation of the farmers in providing conservation service relative to opportunity costs. The most recent approaches suggest the integration of in situ conservation with ex situ conservation management for efficient conservation programmes, especially in relation to governance of local agrobiodiversity. Involving custodian farmers in the comprehensive genetic-improvement system appears to be an activity that increases their willingness to participate in agrobiodiversity conservation schemes. Farmers receive private benefits, which are simultaneously reflected in the provision of public benefits. Therefore, WTA compensation, which employs mechanisms in the design of payments for better agro-environmental conservation services, controls the opportunity costs. Overall, farmers seem willing to participate in any type of compensation scheme that is proposed in the different countries. Furthermore, it is possible to capture the WTA, therefore significant progress requires more studies of primary schemes, indepth analysis to capture farmers' preferences on economic, socio-cultural, and environmental factors in scheme design, and the implementation of incentive policies designed with pragmatic tools.

Building an Agroecology Knowledge Network for Agrobiodiversity Conservation

This paper describes the development of a transdisciplinary knowledge network dedicated to supporting agroecology knowledge exchange and capacity building that is particularly focused on the sustainable use and conservation of agrobiodiversity. The network—Fostering Effective Agroecology for Sustainable Transformation, or FEAST—includes nodes in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and Canada’s Northwest Territories and has been engaged in Participatory Action Research activities since 2015. This paper examines the development of the network over time, including a workshop held in 2019 in and around Curitiba, Brazil, and reflects on the outcomes of knowledge exchange activities. We discuss how the development of the FEAST network has informed participants’ local practice and their sense of belonging to a larger-scale, international movement for agroecology, agrobiodiversity conservation, and food system sustainability.

Landscape, agrobiodiversity, and local knowledge in the protected area “Quebrada de los Cuervos y Sierras del Yerbal,” Uruguay

IntroductionAgrobiodiversity and local knowledge are fundamental components in the domestication and structuring of rural landscapes. In a context of threats to agroecosystems resulting from changes in production systems and rural–urban migration processes, the conservation and valorization of agrobiodiversity is a pressing challenge. “Quebrada de los Cuervos and Sierras del Yerbal” is a protected landscape in Uruguay where a rural community of approximately 30 families with a long-standing tradition resides.MethodsThe research aimed at identifying current and abandoned (taperas) domestic contexts, and the plant genetic resources found in the area, categorizing their uses and management practices through interviews and participant observation.Results and discussionEthnographic research revealed 185 species (121 exotic, 64 native) with diverse growth habits, 10 categories of uses, and 11 categories for management practices. The differences found between houses and taperas revealed that the abandonment of activities in rural areas is a relevant factor in the loss of agrobiodiversity. Among the 185 species, a notable group of plant genetic resources of high cultural significance is recognized due to their consensus of use, frequency of management practices, and number of uses. These include introduced fruit trees (peach, citrus, and fig) and native fruit trees (guayabo del país, pitanga, and arazá), vegetable landraces, native trees with multiple uses, yerba mate, and medicinal species such as Aristolochia fimbriata. For domestic contexts, a model of spatial distribution of agrobiodiversity is proposed, cultivated spaces where the plant genetic resources are located in home gardens and small plots, managed spaces where the resources are found in the surroundings of houses, and promoted and intervened wild spaces where the species are used from natural grasslands and wild environments. The obtained information reaffirms the need to conserve this biocultural landscape, placing agrobiodiversity and local knowledge as a focal point in the protected area. The management plan must be formulated with active participation from the rural community, aiming for valorization through integration into agroecological production chains, among other possibilities.

Seed exchange networks as important processes for maize diversity conservation and seed access in a highland region of Mexico

ABSTRACT Seed exchanges that smallholder households perform form networks that are central to in situ agrobiodiversity conservation. Sociodemographic factors such as market accessibility and household assets could be shaping the structure of these networks and impacting diversity, however formal evidence is scarce. Through surveys in nine rural communities in the Cofre de Perote highland region in Mexico, we modeled seed exchange networks for native maize and conducted a social network analysis followed by statistical modeling. Results show that access to urban centers is negatively related to the robustness of community networks. Within communities, households with bigger plots, more time producing, sufficient maize for self-consumption, and fewer members were able to save seeds for the next cropping season and were more likely to donate seeds. Additionally, households that exchanged more produced more maize morphotypes. We conclude that the maize seed networks under study are serving as seed reservoirs for families in case of scarcity, thus contributing to food security. They are also important for in situ agrobiodiversity conservation of six maize morphotypes. However, it is necessary to promote seed exchanges between households of communities with more access to urban centers, to strengthen networks, and preserve their maize diversity and seed scarcity-dampening function.

Consumers' preferences for commons-based and open-source produce: A discrete choice experiment with directional information manipulations

The increasing privatization of seeds and varieties through intellectual property rights such as patents and exclusive seed multiplication rights has led to power imbalances and contributes to the continuous decline of genetic diversity. Diversified agricultural systems are, however, essential for climate change adaptation and the long-term resilience of our food systems. Common ownership of seeds and varieties can play a central role in supporting the development of diversified agricultural systems. With the first commons/open-source varieties entering consumer markets, consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for these varieties are worth exploring. On the example of tomatoes, we carried out a representative consumer survey with a discrete choice experiment. We find that consumers prefer commons/open-source varieties to company-owned varieties and are willing to pay a premium for these varieties. However, the premium they are willing to pay is smaller than for locally grown and organic produce. Providing additional information on the advantages of commons/open-source varieties positively affects WTP. There are no differences in WTP values for ‘commons varieties’ and ‘open-source varieties’. Our findings contribute to academic and policy discourses on consumers’ role in agrobiodiversity conservation and enhancement.

AGROBIODIVERSITY: CONSERVATION, THREATS, CHALLENGES, AND STRATEGIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

The conservation of agrobiodiversity begins by its characterisation to know it. On this knowledge, we must study the interactions of the different species with their abiotic and biotic context. However, as a consequence of the effects of climate change, the abiotic context is variable and extreme. Therefore, abiotic stress induced by climate change jeopardises both the biodiversity and plant genetic resources, therefore, food security. The latter is more drastic in developing communities. Thus, given the predictions of the effects of climate change at different geographical levels, it is urgent to develop strategies that might improve the management of biodiversity and promote resilience against said effects. On the one hand, preserving and describing the agrobiodiversity allows us to identify the genetic material most appropriate under different abiotic contexts. On the other hand, plants, including crops, are not isolated species and develop in a very heterogeneous biotic context that can enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress. In this work, we review key concepts, threats, challenges, and strategies to improve agrobiodiversity management.

The role of collective action in the cacao sector in enhancing sustainability, market upgrading and agro-biodiversity conservation

Many farmers around the world are confronted with the decision of adopting high-yielding varieties or maintaining the diverse portfolio of ancient varieties and cultivars that constitute the basis of local and global agrobiodiversity. This dilemma often resolves towards ensuring short-term individual profits at the expense of long-term biodiversity conservation. In this paper we argue that specialty markets can act as a driving force to resolve this balance towards the conservation of agrobiodiversity, supported by collective action. We use the case of the Ecuadorian cacao producers to illustrate this possibility. The upper Amazon is the center of origin of cacao, one of the top traded global commodities. Since the 1990s Ecuadorian farmers have been substituting regional varieties with a clone developed in the country, the CCN-51 that has shown to be a high-yielding variety that is also resistant to monilia, a common cacao disease. In some areas of the country, however, farmers belonging to cooperatives have been able to keep local varieties, obtain ecological certifications for adhering to the recommended practices, and reach specialty markets that pay higher prices for their cacao. We call this set of benefits upgrading. We conducted a study of 205 household surveys and several interviews in four provinces along the West coast of Ecuador. We assessed the role of collective action (in the form of cooperative participation) in enhancing farmers’ access to high-value chains. Our results show that collective action enables economic upgrading by providing participants with higher incomes and more formal contracts. As farmers join direct trade and certification, other benefits are accrued, such as cacao and non-cacao tree biodiversity conservation. This analysis shows that, once niche markets are open for farmers, collective action boosts the benefits of such opportunities.

Agribusiness and Supply Chain Development Policies in Nepal: A Review from Temporal Dynamics

A critical review of agriculture policies during different plan periods, aligned with political changes, has been conducted out to understand the shift in priorities, technology transfer ,support products, and private sector engagement. Firstly, in the 1950s, the policies were influenced by the first five-year plan and focused on the import and dissemination of technology. During the three decades of the Panchayat era, there was an emphasis on state mechanisms for technology transfer, agribusiness, and research, with limited incentives for the private sector. After 1990, agricultural policy products followed a path of liberalization and focused on defining the state’s role and promoting pluralism. This period witnessed the establishment of a wide range of private and cooperative-led agribusinesses, although their growth was hindered by political conflict. Subsequently, policies began to incorporate priorities such as nutrition security, comparative advantage, competitiveness, climate change adaptation, agrobiodiversity conservation, and sustainability. However, with the federalization of the state and establishment of a three-tier governance system in 2015, agriculture policies, priorities and strategies a became fragmented, diversified, and localized, and lack harmonization. This review demonstrates that agriculture policies were largely influenced by domestic political developments and structural changes at the international level. Nonetheless, a consistent focus on increasing production and productivity, as well as achieving food security and self-sufficiency, can be observed.. Throughout all policy periods, supply chain development, a crucial component of agribusiness, received limited prioritization, which remains a major impediment to agricultural transformation. Despite seven decades of policy evolution, Nepal has been unable to create an enabling policy environment to attract significant private and cooperative sector investments that could drive substantial growth in agribusiness. This situation calls for further research in the field of policy formulation capacity among the three tiers of government to foster agribusiness and promote supply chain development for agricultural transformation.

Do carbon stocks and floristic diversity of tropical homegardens vary along an elevational gradient and based on holding size in central Kerala, India?

Homegarden (HG) agroforestry combines biological carbon (C) sequestration with biodiversity conservation outcomes. Although C stocks and species richness of HGs vary along elevational gradients and as a function of holding sizes, there is no consensus on the nature and magnitude of such variations. Field studies were conducted in the Western Ghats region of central Kerala, India (180 homesteads in 20 selected panchayats), to evaluate the effects of elevation (near sea level to 1938m) and garden size (162-10,117 m2) on aboveground C stocks and floristic diversity. The C stocks (per unit area) of HGs (arborescent species) were highly variable (0.63-93.65Mgha-1), as garden management was highly individualistic and it exhibited a weak negative relationship with elevation. Likewise, there was a weak negative relationship between C stocks and garden size. Tree stocking levels (stems/garden) and species richness (species/garden) positively impacted total C stocks per garden. Floristic diversity was high in the study area (753 species) and included many rare and endangered species (43 IUCN Red-Listed species) making homegardens circa situm reservoirs of biodiversity. Elevation and holding size exerted a weak negative linear relationship on Simpson's floristic diversity index, whichranged from 0.26 to 0.93 for thearboreal species. Homegardens, regardless of elevation or size, contribute to C sequestration and agrobiodiversity conservation and help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Climate Action (SDG-13) and conserving agrobiodiversity (SDG-15, Life on Land).

Multiple domestication events explain the origin of Gossypium hirsutum landraces in Mexico.

Several Mesoamerican crops constitute wild-to-domesticated complexes generated by multiple initial domestication events, and continuous gene flow among crop populations and between these populations and their wild relatives. It has been suggested that the domestication of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) started in the northwest of the Yucatán Peninsula, from where it spread to other regions inside and outside of Mexico. We tested this hypothesis by assembling chloroplast genomes of 23 wild, landraces, and breeding lines (transgene-introgressed and conventional). The phylogenetic analysis showed that the evolutionary history of cotton in Mexico involves multiple events of introgression and genetic divergence. From this, we conclude that Mexican landraces arose from multiple wild populations. Our results also revealed that their structural and functional chloroplast organizations had been preserved. However, genetic diversity decreases as a consequence of domestication, mainly in transgene-introgressed (TI) individuals (π=0.00020, 0.00001, 0.00016, 0, and 0, of wild, TI-wild, landraces, TI-landraces, and breeding lines, respectively). We identified homologous regions that differentiate wild from domesticated plants and indicate a relationship among the samples. A decrease in genetic diversity associated with transgene introgression in cotton was identified for the first time, and our outcomes are therefore relevant to both biosecurity and agrobiodiversity conservation.

Community-Level Incentive Mechanisms for the Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives: A Malawi Case Study

Despite being an increasingly important source of genes for crop breeding aimed at improving food security and climate change adaptation, crop wild relatives (CWRs) are globally threatened. A root cause of CWR conservation challenges is a lack of institutions and payment mechanisms by which the beneficiaries of CWR conservation services (such as breeders) could compensate those who can supply them. Given that CWR conservation generates important public good values, for the significant proportion of CWRs found outside of protected areas, there is a strong justification for the design of incentive mechanisms to support landowners whose management practices positively contribute to CWR conservation. This paper contributes to facilitating an improved understanding of the costs of in situ CWR conservation incentive mechanisms, based on a case study application of payments for agrobiodiversity conservation services across 13 community groups in three districts in Malawi. Results demonstrate a high willingness to participate in conservation activities, with average conservation tender bids per community group being a modest MWK 20,000 (USD 25) p.a. and covering 22 species of CWRs across 17 related crops. As such, there appears to be significant potential for community engagement in CWR conservation activities that is complementary to that required in protected areas and can be achieved at modest cost where appropriate incentive mechanisms can be implemented.

THE ROLE OF GENDER IN AGRO-BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MADHYABINDU MUNICIPALITY OF NAWALPUR DISTRICT

A study was carried out in the Madhyabindu municipality of Nawalpur district, from August to September 2020 to evaluate the gender roles in agro-biodiversity conservation and use. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 50 households for the study. An individual interview and semi-structured questionnaire survey were conducted to collect data. The gathered information was tabulated, and descriptive inferences were made to present the study’s findings. Women typically worked on less difficult but time-consuming tasks, while men typically engaged in labor-intensive work. Males made decisions regarding land preparation, crop and seed selection, and the sale of agricultural products, whereas females only made decisions regarding the application of fertilizer, the planting of crops, irrigation, intercultural operations, harvesting, and value-adding procedures, etc. However, gender roles varied among different castes, ethnic groups, levels of education, and economic status of the respondent farmers, and these factors significantly influenced their attitudes toward biodiversity conservation. Women were also more active than men in conserving and using biodiversity. Therefore, being aware of these differences can help to increase the power of women and increase the agricultural system’s sustainability.