Enhancing the in situ management of agricultural biodiversity

1. Enhancing the in situ management of agricultural biodiversity • A proposal for Strategic Research Theme 5 of CRP 1.1

2. Rationale • Genetic diversity still being lost • In situ offers benefits of dynamic evolution and indigenous knowledge • Currently undervalued, and hence underused • Genetic resources and information vital for future agricultural development and access to these resources is essential

3. Objectives & Long-term Impacts • Target agrobiodiversity better managed, understood, conserved and used in agreed high priority geographical areas (global). • Information gathered and made available. • Policy environment supportive for management and use and access facilitated. •  Impact pathway is same as for ex situ conservation Long-term impacts: Food and nutrition security Ecosystem services and sustainability

4. Research Topics • Status and trends of target crops and species • Target species in systems: Development of in situ and on farm conservation approaches, tools and methodologies • Facilitating use of target crops and species • Information and knowledge supporting in situ conservation and management • Policy and strategies to support the in situ management and access to and availability of agricultural biodiversity

5. Important role of women Focus on gender in design and implementation of research methodologies, and compilation and sharing of knowledge on role of women as custodians of diversity • Role of women disaggregated for • Management of on-farm diversity • Conservation decisions • Use values, characterization • Traditional knowledge

6. Capacity strengthening Enhance individual capacities for R&D and influence institutional capacities for mainstreaming research results from local to regional levels • Capacity strengthening • Women empowered to use on farm diversity • Farmers as data providers and users • Policy implementation

7. Linkages with CRPs • CRP 1.1 Links with other components • Capacity development • Reducing vulnerability & risk • Enhancing resilience • Sustainable intensification, participatory breeding • Policy outputs will help SRT2 and SRT3 • M&E and IA for arid sites in concert with SRT4 • CRP1.2 and 1.3 • Share study sites, focus areas

8. Linkages with CRPs • CRP2 Link target agrobiodiversity to value chain analysis • CRP3 Use of landraces and CWR for crop improvement • CRP4 Target biodiversity used to improve health and nutrition • CRP5 Importance of target biodiversity in providing ecosystem services • CRP6 Sharing methodologies for in situ conservation • CRP7 Use of target biodiversity for adaptation and mitigation

9. Partnerships • With regional fora initiatives on agrobiodiversity • FARA: Agrobiodiversityinitiative for Africa • APAARI: Implementation of Suwon declaration on ABD • ARINENA: Regional strategy for PGR conservation • Development partners (e.g. LI-BIRD, MSSRF, PROINPA) • Research partners • Agropolis, USDA • NBPGR, EMBRAPA, CAAS • FAO, CBD, IUCN, CI

10. Governance • Integral part of CRP1.1 using same governance and management structures • Outside dry areas will work closely with CRP1.2 and CRP1.3 • To be further discussed

11. Budget requested Year 1 Window 1+2 : US$4.1M

12. Thank you

13. Evolutionary responses in situ • Tin, H. Q., T. Berg, and A. Bjornstad. 2001. Diversity and adaptation in rice varieties under static (ex situ) and dynamic (in situ) management – a case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Euphytica122:491–502. • Vigouroux Y, et al. 2011. Selection for earlier flowering crop associated with climatic variations in the Sahel. PLOS ONE 6: 1-9. • Jensen, H. R., Dreiseitl, A., Sadiki, M. and Schoen, D. J. (2011), The Red Queen and the seed bank: pathogen resistance of ex situ and in situ conserved barley. Evolutionary Applications. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2011.00227.x • Kristin L. Mercer and Hugo R. Perales, 2010. Evolutionary response of landraces to climate change in centers of crop diversity. Evolutionary Applications

14. Example: rice in Vietnam • Collection of same varieties in 1986, 1991 and 1997. • Area has undergone agricultural intensification, including increased irrigation and market orientation. • Farmers started to select for certain traits.

15. Later planting leads to selection for later maturing (less photoperiodic) rice Flowering date of ex situ (1986 and 1991 collections) and in situ (1997) of each of the seven varieties. Number of days from seeding to date of 50% flowering.

16. Irrigation leads to selection against drought tolerance Number of surviving plants after the drought stress for ex situ (1986 and 1991 collections) and in situ populations (1997) of each of the seven varieties.

17. Budget Breakdown

18. Agricultural Biodiversity • Diversity that contributes directly and indirectly to food production, including livestock, pollinators, microbes, etc. • Proposal focuses on genetic diversity of farmer-maintained • Local livestock breeds, • Varieties and landraces of major crops and their wild relatives, • Neglected and underutilized species, • Rangeland species.