Issue Number 1, Series of 2002

WHAT IS THE UPDATES ALL ABOUT?

This brief document (note, information, whatever!) will provide information on what is happening on the participatory plant breeding and participatory varietal selection transversal line (PPB/PVS T-line). The objective is simple. We will try to provide you regular updates (bits and pieces of information, notes,…) on what is going on with our efforts on PPB and PVS. This is open to contribution from T-line partners. We greatly welcome news from your side on PPB and PVS to be shared on the UPDATES.

The UPDATES is a document containing information on the current activities done by the T-line Coordinator, information on planned activities of partners related to PPB and PVS, information on suggested readings and references (as this was a common request of partners from the survey done last few months) and other announcements on activities outside CBDC that might interest the partners.

We plan to come up with the UPDATES once a month and distribute via the CBDC exchange platform.

Contributions from partners are very much welcome. So friends, this is our first attempt and initial launching of UPDATES…………

INFORMATION FROM THE T-LINE COORDINATION

The activities of the T-line coordination in the first quarter and part of the second quarter are devoted to the (1) diagnostic survey inventory of T-line partners on PPB and PVS, (2) compilation and submission of the analytical report and (3) resource and reference generation.

Diagnostic survey: The diagnostic survey is long overdue. We planned to finish this in the first quarter to be included in the analytical report submitted last March. However, due to limited responses from partners we decided to delay the compilation of the survey to give time to partners to send in their replies. As of this writing, we only received the replies of Colombia (in Spanish so we are in the process of translating it), Zimbabwe, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and CGN/NORAGRIC. We are now in the process of compiling the inventories from these partners.

Our plan is to send the compiled survey next month.

Of course, we still look forward to responses from other partners… (Calling the attention of PPB and PVS T-line partners!!!!)

Compilation and submission of the analytical report: The T-line coordination submitted a narrative report for the period of June 2000 to December 2001 to the GCU. The report was submitted last April 2002 via the CBDC platform. However, since the T-line coordinator did not receive copies of the narrative reports of national partners the PPB and PVS T-line report was made based on the results of work of the Southeast Asia national partners (namely: Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). We hope that in the next reporting period that partners will send their narrative reports via the CBDC platform exchange.

An analytical report was submitted last December 2001 to the Program Coordinating Committee (PPC) during their meeting in Chile last year. Again, the report was a compilation of the results of the work of the South East Asia PPB and PVS due to no reports from other partners.

These reports are available from SEARICE if there are any interested partners.

Resource and reference generation: As per initial results of the diagnostic survey, partners had a common request and need for references on PPB and PVS and other related issues. Therefore, the T-line coordination has included this as part of its activities to support the partners. We are in the process of compiling relevant literatures.

One of the contents of the UPDATES is a list of references on PPB/PVS, seed supply system, gender and other related issues. The references (books, journals, etc.) will be briefly described and address of the publisher will be included if partners are interested to get copies. The books initially mentioned are available at SEARICE office. We could provide PHOTOCOPIES on specific parts of the books upon request (for copyright purposes) and will be sent by snail mail. Please see below the list of references.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES OF THE PARTNERS RELATED TO PPB AND PVS

Partner Activity Date Venue
Thailand (CBDC Nan project) Training of Trainors for farmers on Farmer Field School in plant genetic resources conservation and development in Rice (Oryza sativa)

 April 30 to May 3, 2002 Wat Aranjawat, Nan province, Thailand
Philippines (CBDC Bohol project)

 Farmers Technical Exchange and Conference May 8 – 9, 2002 Bilar, Bohol, Philippines
Philippines (CBDC Bohol project)

 Rice Harvest Festival May 10, 2002 Bilar, Bohol, Philippines
(If your project is planning any major activity soon, kindly send us the information so we can put it up in the UPDATES. We hope to have an activity listing every month.)

SUGGESTED READINGS AND REFERENCES

On Participatory Plant Breeding
  1. Eva Weltzien / Margaret Smith, Laura Meitzner and Louise Sperling. 2000. Technical and Institutional Issues in Participatory Plant Breeding – from the Perspective of formal Plant Breeding: A global analysis of issues, results and current experience. Working Document. CGIAR System wide Program on Participatory Research and gender Analysis for Technology Development and Institutional Innovation (PRGA program)
    2. The paper presents a review of various participatory plant breeding (PPB) efforts from the perspective of formal sector institutions (such as national plant breeding programs, CGIAR institutes, or extension services). It also includes an inventory of PPB cases worldwide, detailed description of about a dozen illustrative cases, analysis of technical and institutional issues, and assessment of gaps in current knowledge regarding PPB methods, organization and results.

    The paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction on PPB from a formal-led perspective, motivations from pursuing PPB from the research and people perspective, situations in which PPB is expected to be beneficial, terminology in PPB field and report methodology. The second chapter is allotted to the framework for analysis of formal-led PPB which discussed the goals of PPB, environments where PPB is taking place, stages of plant breeding, and participation. Chapter 3 provides the 11 case studies worldwide with a remark on the case studies at the end of the chapter. Chapter 4 is on the lessons emerging from the case studies which discusses the breeding strategies of involving farmers, issues of participation, gender/user differentiation, outcomes and results and transfer of benefits. The last chapter presents the gaps and further work in PPB.

    For copies:

    Please request directly from PRGA program coordination office, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Apartado Aereo 6713 Cali, Colombia

    Phone: (57-2) 445000
    Fax: (57-2) 4450073
    Email: prga@cgiar.org
    Website: http://www.prgaprogram.org/prga/

  2. Shawn McGuire, Gigi Manicad and Louise Sperling. 1999. Technical and Institutional Issues in Participatory Plant Breeding – Done from a Perspective of Farmer Plant Breeding: A global analysis of issues and current experience. Working document 2. CGIAR System wide Program on Participatory Research and gender Analysis for Technology Development and Institutional Innovation (PRGA Program).
This report provides an overview of farmer-breeding and a framework for support and gives the first major comparative analysis of farmer-led PPB. The framework was based on the review and analysis of the 11 case studies of projects that pioneer different aspects of farmer-led PPB. A framework based on analysis of the case studies, outlines four broad approaches to support farmer breeding.
  1. Germplasm support to increase farmers’ access to diversity can supply fixed or segregating lines and work with material with local or distant origins.
  2. Skills support in breeding, testing or seed production can offer farmers new skills to extend best local practice.
  3. Support in forming links may enhance the equity or sustainability of a PPB project.
  4. Indirect support could confront barriers to farmer-breeding, or help promote it in other ways, such as market-development.
These approaches comprise a range of methodological options, with considerable implications for the ease of PPB and the nature of its impact.

The report comprised of six chapters. The first chapter refers to the introduction presenting the perspective on PPB, overview and methodology of the report, and importance of farmer-breeding based on agro-ecology, socio-economic conditions and seed supply. The second chapter deals with the current knowledge of farmer-breeding to include goals and processes of farmer-breeding, and context of where and who does farmer-breeding. The third chapter discusses the support to farmer-breeding according to the framework of germplasm, skills, forming links and indirect support. The fourth chapter is the presentation of the 11 case studies with a summary at the end of the chapter. The fifth chapter is allotted for discussion on breeding strategy, involvement of different users, institutions in farmer-led PPB and transfer of benefits. The last chapter is a presentation of gaps and recommendations for further work.

For copies: Please request directly from PRGA program coordination office International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Apartado Aereo 6713 Cali, Colombia.

Phone: (57-2) 445000
Fax: (57-2) 4450073
Email: prga@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.prgaprogram.org/prga/

  1. CGIAR System wide Program on Participatory Research and gender Analysis for Technology Development and Institutional Innovation (PRGA Program). 2001. An Exchange of Experiences from South and South East Asia: Proceedings of the international symposium on Participatory Plant Breeding and Participatory Plant Genetic Resources Enhancement. Pokhara, Nepal, 1-5 May 2000. CIAT, Colombia.
    2. This book is a compilation of the papers presented in a symposium in Nepal last 2000 where over 1000 scientists, farmers, development practitioners and community organizers from South and Southeast Asian countries met and discuss PPB methodologies, strategies, actors, environments and impact. The objectives of the symposium were to exchange and compare the diversity of experiences in PPB in the region, to identify gaps in the research to data, and to network institutional plant breeders, farmers and others who are using participatory methodologies.

    The book presents a diversity of case studies on: (1) community grassroots movements for linking PPB and participatory PGR management, (2) starting from farmers’ knowledge when planning PPB/participatory PGR programs, (3) focus on methods in PPB – breeding concerns, (4) focus on methods in PPB – social science tools, and (5) lessons learned, evaluation and impact of PPB.

    Also, the proceedings included the case studies of the parallel program during the symposium on farmers. There are 13 cases where farmers speak for themselves on conserving, enhancing and utilizing the PGR.

    For copies:

    Please request directly from PRGA program coordination office, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Apartado Aereo 6713 Cali, Colombia.

    Phone: (57-2) 445000
    Fax: (57-2) 4450073
    Email: prga@cgiar.org
    Website: http://www.prgaprogram.org/prga/

  2. D. Jarvis, L. Myer, H. Klemick, L. Guarino, M. Smale, A. Brown, M. Sadiki, B. Sthapit and T. Hodgkin. A training guide for in-situ conservation on-farm. Version 1. IPGRI. Italy.
The manual is intended for national programmes interested in supporting in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity maintained on-farm by farmers. This guide is geared to give basic technical skills and tools to build institutional capacity and partnerships to implement on-farm conservation programme. It discusses the information necessary and the practical steps for the implementation of on-farm conservation, as well as, the importance of such activity.

The manual is organized according to chapters. Chapter 1 introduces in-situ conservation on-farm, detailing why it is important and how it differs from ex situ strategies. The next five chapters present an overview of the types of information necessary in the design of an on-farm conservation programme. Chapter 2 discusses the "human"side of crop genetic resources management, including the social, cultural and economic influences on farmer decision –making. Chapter 3 covers the agroecological factors and their role in shaping crop genetic diversity. Chapter 4 highlights the importance of farmer selection of agromorphological characteristics in the cultivation of intraspecies crop diversity and the measurement of the characters through field and lab trials. Chapter 5 covers the role of crop population genetics and breeding systems in on-farm conservation. Seed systems, including supply and storage, are discussed in Chapter 6. The next four chapters focus on the practical design and implementation aspects of on-farm conservation. Chapter 7 discusses the national institutional and disciplinary frameworks necessary for the creation of an on-farm project, based in partnerships between diverse personnel and institutions. The process of implementing research and conservation by diverse disciplines and documenting the results by managers, policy-makers and community is detailed in chapters 8 and 9. Potential strategies to support farming systems engaged in conservation are discussed in chapter 10.

For copies: Please request directly from IPGRI

Via delle, Sette Chiese, 142
00145 Rome, Italy
Email: http://ipgri@cgiar.org

On Gender
  1. Geneflow: Women and plant genetic resources. Published by IPGRI. 2000-2001
    2. The Geneflow is a publication about the earth’s plant genetic resources. The theme for the 2000-2001 edition is on women and plant genetic resources. There are several articles on women and seeds as well as on other issues.

    For copies:

    Please request directly from IPGRI

    Via delle, Sette Chiese, 142
    00145 Rome, Italy
    Email: http://ipgri@cgiar.org

  2. Agrobiodiversity conservation and the role of women: an expert consultation report.
    3. This document is the proceedings of a regional consultation workshop on the role of women and agrobiodiversity held in the Philippines last September 2001. The consultation aims to better understand the contributions of women make as agrobiodiversity managers and to fully examine the agro-economic and sociocultural circumstances surrounding women as they up the role, among their multiple roles within rural farming households and communities. The consultation sought to address these challenges through a bottom-up process involving a review of field-level experience and using lessons learned to guide programme planning and policy development. Case experiences from nine countries in Asia served as inputs to the discussions. The meeting was organized by CIP-UPWARD and SEARCA with FAO.

    For copies: Please request directly from Revathi Balakrishnan, Ph.D

    Regional Rural Sociologists and Women in Development Officer
    FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
    Bangkok 10200,
    Thailand
    Email: Revathi. Balakrishnan@fao.org
    Fax: 66-2-6974445

    Mario Tapia and Ana de la Torre. 1998. Women farmers and Andean seeds. IPGRI. Italy

    The book is part of a series that tries to generate and disseminate knowledge to bring gender perspective into the mainstream of agricultural biodiversity conservation and use. The documentation is based on the case study of women farmers and seeds in the Andean. For copies:
    Please request directly from IPGRI

    Via delle, Sette Chiese, 142
    00145 Rome, Italy
    Email: http://ipgri@cgiar.org

    On Seed Supply System
    1. Jones, R.B., Audi, P.A. and R.Tripp. 2001.. The role of informal seed systems in disseminating modern varieties. The example of pigeonpea from semi-arid area of Kenya. Experimental Agriculture volume 37, pp.539-548.

    In the semi-arid Mwea Division of Kenya’s Eastern Province, the modern pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) variety Nairobi Pigeonpea 670 (NPP 670) had become known to all farmers and was being grown by 68% of them within a period of 12 years. The only injection of this seed to the area was from a single on-farm demonstration. Three-quarters of farmers found out about the variety from observing it growing in the field, and obtained seed primarily from other farmers in the village. Factors favouring the diffusion of the variety included its attractiveness as a cash crop, the ease with which it could be distinguished from other varieties, the low seed rate, and the relative ease with which growers were able to maintain seed purity. Farmers expressed a willingness to pay for fresh seed, which suggests that more effort needs to be made to involve the formal seed sector. The present regulatory system does not favour the development of a formal seed supply system. NPP 670 was released more than 10 years after it was first tested.

    For photocopies, please send request to SEARICE PPB/PVS T-line coordination via the CBDC exchange platform (cbdc-exchange@nic.surfnet.nl)

    Others:
    1. Almekinders, C. and J. Hardon. The role of genetic resources in rural livelihood systems. UPWARD working paper No. 6, 2001. WU-UPWARD, Wageningen.
      2. This paper is part of the series on the concept of livelihood that the Wageningen-based Dutch Support Group of UPWARD had prepared. This second paper in the series deals with plant and animals with use for food and agriculture as assets and as (genetic) resources of a livelihood system. The paper looks at the use of crop and animal genetic diversity by rural households in a context of a global agricultural development that has been a main factor in the loss of genetic diversity in agricultural systems. The management of genetic diversity by rural households is described in terms of seed selection and seed exchange practices; the use of genetic diversity explained by (i) need of diversity for consumption and other use purposes (including marketing), and (ii) for matching with and buffering against environmental variation.

      For copies: Please request directly from UPWARD

      PCARRD complex
      Los Baňos, Laguna, Philippines
      Email: cip-manila@cgiar.org

    2. Brush, Stephen. 2000. Genes in the field: On-farm conservation of crop diversity. International Development Research Center. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and Lewis Publishers.
    The book is a comprehensive collection of papers focusing on agricultural conservation and diversity issues through out the world. The feature of the book is on both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies. It also focuses on policy and institutional issues.

    For copies: Please request directly from Lewis Publishers:

    2000 NW corporate road
    Boca raton, Fl 33431, USA
    IDRC
    P.O. Box 8500
    Ottawa, ON
    Canada K1G 3H9
    IPGRI
    Via delle, Sette Chiese, 142
    00145 Rome, Italy
    Email: ipgri@cgiar.org

    ANNOUNCEMENT: OTHER ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE CBDC

    (1) INTERNATIONAL LEARNING WORKSHOP ON

     FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS (FFS):

    EMERGING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

    21-25 October 2002, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

     I. Introduction

     The farmer field school (FFS) approach was first developed in the late 1980s for training rice farmers in Indonesia on integrated pest management (IPM). Based on adult education principles, the FFS has evolved to become a distinct approach for season-long training that builds on processes of group learning and experimentation.

    There has been a rapid increase in the popularity of FFS over the last decade, as could be seen from efforts of various programs and organizations to apply and adapt the approach. While already gaining wide popularity, the FFS approach has also been confronted by issues emerging from the evaluation of its impact, coverage and cost-effectiveness. Consequently, there is now greater emphasis on the development of monitoring and evaluation methodologies to better capture the processes and outcomes of FFS. In addition, the widespread use of FFS for various crops, systems, constraints and purposes has led to numerous FFS "variants" that need to be re-examined in terms of their: a) positive contribution to the further development of the approach, b) the extent to which they reflect the core principles underlying FFS, and c) efforts to maintain the quality in implementation.

    II. Objectives, Outputs and Participants

     The International Learning Workshop aims to:

    1. Share and review worldwide experiences in applying, improvising and/or adapting the FFS approach for various agro-ecological, socio-cultural and economic situations.
    2. Examine institutionalization, up-scaling, evaluation and related FFS issues.
    3. Identify opportunities for the further development of the FFS approach – both to contribute to the global body of knowledge and for the benefit of field practitioners – in light of newer challenges for sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
    The Workshop is expected to produce the following set of outputs:

    1. Publication: a) summary of workshop highlights including directory of contacts and resources, b) volume of case papers on worldwide experiences in the innovative application of the FFS approach. Subject to further discussion at the workshop, these publications may also be produced in CD-ROM format and/or posted on relevant websites.

    2. Agenda for action: identification of appropriate research, development and policy interventions.

    3. Networking: Establishment of formal/informal linkages among professionals and institutions seeking wider experience-sharing and collaborative activities.

    To be conducted in English, the Workshop aims to gather 35-40 participants consisting of: 1) FFS practitioners involved in planning and development, field implementation, and monitoring and evaluation activities; and 2) resource persons to provide inputs on theories/concepts, policy, resource mobilization and related issues.

    III. Call for Abstracts of Papers

    Those interested to participate in the Workshop are invited to submit an abstract for a potential case paper dealing with any of the following major themes to be addressed in the Workshop:

    1. Adaptation of FFS to various crops/systems/constraints
    2. Application of FFS for R&D, training and extension, and other learning purposes
    3. FFS institutionalization, scaling up and policy development
    4. FFS monitoring and evaluation
    The abstract must be prepared in English and between 200-300 words in length. Deadline for submission of abstracts is 25 May 2002, either by email to cip-manila@cgiar.org or by fax to +63 49 5361662. Authors whose abstracts are selected for the Workshop will be required to submit a full paper by 5 October 2002. Inquiries may be sent to The Secretariat, International FFS Workshop, using the above email address. A limited number of fellowships is available to cover partial/full costs of participation in the Workshop.

    IV. Workshop Organization and Collaboration

    The lead organizers for the Workshop are: Rockefeller Foundation, International Potato Center (CIP) through the Users’ Perspectives With Agricultural Research and Development (UPWARD) Network, and the Farmers for Innovation in Ecological Livelihood and Democracy (FIELD) Indonesia. The workshop advisory committee consists of:

    Dindo Campilan CIP-UPWARD Philippines
    Elske van de Fliert CIP-WGPR Indonesia
    Julian Gonsalves CIP-UPWARD Philippines
    Ruben Puentes Rockefeller Foundation Mexico
    Russ Dilts FAO Community IPM Program Indonesia
    Handoko Widagdo World Education Indonesia
    James Okoth FAO IPPM Program Uganda
    Janny Vos CABI United Kingdom
    Conny Almekinders Wageningen University The Netherlands
    Marco Miagostovich RECOFTC Thailand

    2. CONSERVING AGROBIODIVERSITY: A Source Book for Development Workers The International Potato Center - Users' Perspectives With Agricultural Research and Development (CIP-UPWARD) Network, in collaboration with International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE), German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is producing a source book on biodiversity conservation. The copyright-free, semi-technical publication will feature conceptual and methodological information offering a diversity of perspectives relevant to the development agenda in conserving agrobiodiversity. The source book will be packaged in a user-friendly format, simplified for a wider audience and be suitably illustrated. Tentatively, the publication will include the following sections: I. Overview of concepts II. Policy and legal issues III. Institutional and socio-economic issues IV. Crop conservation V. Animal conservation VI. Forest conservation VII. Aquatic resource conservation VIII. Tools and Methods Among the main target users of the publication will be: development practitioners seeking to apply practical, field-tested tools for promoting and supporting agrobiodiversity conservation; agricultural/rural development managers interested to learn from a wide range of experiences to guide planning and implementation of their own projects; participatory research and development professionals exploring potential strategies for enhancing participation of local people and other stakeholders in conservation efforts; trainors needing reference materials for curriculum development and training implementation; and policymakers and donors requiring relevant information for setting program agenda and priorities. The source book will comprise of contributions from various field practitioners and promoters of biodiversity conservation. Identification of topics and resource persons will be spearheaded by an international advisory committee and will be done via email communications, and through a consultation meeting among Philippines-based members. Signifying interest of participation is set on or before April 30. The deadline for the submission of first draft is on or before June 1. You have the option to make a different/modified topical contribution should you wish to. The advisory committee will review all paper contributions. Feedback on each paper will be sent back to the author for possible revision/s relevant to the final output. A working group will edit/ repackage, illustrate and desktop publish the papers and come up with a second draft which will be sent back to individual authors, for comments/approval (on the illustrations, etc). The paper will be finalized after getting the final approval of the author. Authors/contributors will get full credits for their paper/s (author s name to appear at the end of each article) and a list of all authors with the contact information will be included in the publication. Each contributor will get 5 copies each of the printed source book. However, we will not be able to provide honorarium. The source book and the CD-ROMs will be distributed to a list of recipients, to be drawn up based on suggestions from the advisory group and contributors. In principle, single copies will be distributed to organizations from developing countries, while a nominal fee (to recover production costs) will be charged to those from developed countries and for bulk orders. If there are further clarifications on the source book as well as on the paper contributions, please write to: Ms. Hydee de Chavez International Potato Center User s Perspectives With Agricultural Research and Development (CIP-UPWARD) Address: PCARRD Complex Los Banos, 4030 Laguna Philippines Tel: (63-49) 536-0235 Fax: (63-49) 536-1662 E-mail: agrobio@laguna.net