by Rima Alcadi and Shantanu Mathur
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| picture: R.Alcadi/IFAD. FFS in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe |
We are all increasingly dependent
on agro-biodiversity, as we struggle to adapt to the impending impacts of climate
change. This is because there are varieties that have adapted to and thrived in
harsh and marginal conditions and these are becoming more and more relevant as
conditions become even harsher. For many poor rural communities, the
conservation and sustainable use of their local landraces determines whether or
not they are food secure: maintaining biodiversity is a way to enhance their
resilience. In development projects implemented in various countries, including
in Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, farmers have clearly demonstrated
that they care about their agro-biodiversity. For example, farmers in Zimbabwe
maintain over a dozen varieties of the same crop. They do not do so in order to
increase yields, necessarily. One reason they grow different varieties is to
create farming system stability - to manage risks, such as pest and disease
infestations, droughts and other environmental shocks. A second reason is to
manage their factors of production and their cash flow, which basically means
that smallholder farmers prefer to stagger the amount of labour, irrigation and
other inputs required, so that it is easier for them to manage without having
to revert to hiring or purchasing additional resources. Farmers are mindful of
the amount of wood required for cooking or processing their crops, and they
value regularity and predictability in
their cash flow, so varieties with different maturity dates are used as
mixtures – making them productive even in lean periods (the so called hungry
season) and creating vibrant food systems making them a perpetual and reliable
source of health and nutrition. And of course, many smallholder farmers value
diversity of use as well – some varieties are best for sweets, others for
savoury foods, snacks, fodder, brewing - and thus the colour, texture, cooking
time and even cooling time can be important traits that are considered in
selecting which crops to grow.
The fact that, globally, an
estimated 75% of our plant genetic diversity has been lost since the 1900s is a
matter of great concern. Moreover, the consequences of biodiversity loss are
not being shared equitably across the world. The areas of richest biodiversity
are in developing countries where they are relied upon by approximately 2 billion
people to meet their basic needs. When farmers abandon their multiple local
varieties and landraces for genetically uniform and high-yielding varieties, in
the long-term they are jeopardising their resilience to climate change, food security
and traditional knowledge associated with their local varieties. After even
only a few seasons of neglect or drought, it can become an enormous challenge
for smallholder farmers residing in marginalised areas to access good quality
seeds, on time.
Community seed fairs were conceived
and promoted by a partnership among IFAD, FAO, Bioversity International and
civil society organisations in Zimbabwe and Mali. In community seed fairs, several
farmers meet to display their seeds, provide
farmers with the opportunity to exchange seeds as well as knowledge and
experiences on the crops they grow. It is also a valuable tool for researchers
to take stock of available biodiversity in a given community, and even collect
varieties to conserve in the national gene banks – thereby ensuring that if the
communities lose a variety, it can be recovered. Seed fairs also celebrate,
recognise and reward farmers for their valuable contribution as custodians of
agro-biodiversity. Often prizes, such as agricultural implements, are awarded
to farmers who display the widest range of varieties, or bring rare varieties. Moreover,
community seed fairs are an ideal platform on which to append other activities
that can further enhance communities’ ability to improve food security and
their adaptation to climate change. One of these activities is the Diversity
Wheel.
The idea of the Diversity Wheel came
from the “4 cell analysis,” a conceptual
framework developed initially by the Nepalese NGO Local Initiatives for Biodiversity,
Research and Development (LI-BIRD), and Bioversity International. The method
was conceived to assess, in a participatory way, the amount of crop diversity
available in a community and identify varieties
that might be at risk of being lost. In a way, this is similar to the IUCN Red
Lists, but specifically looking at cultivated species and at maintaining local agro-biodiversity
on-farm. In this regard, the 4 cell analysis was conceived as a 2 by 2 matrix,
where one axis refers to the number of farmers planting a specified variety
(i.e., few farmers versus many farmers) and the other axis refers to the area
in which the crop is grown (large area versus small area). This conceptual
framework was further developed into a “5 cell analysis” as a 5th cell,
referring to varieties that a community lost, was added to the existing tool in
2011, during an international conference organized by Bioversity in Germany and
dedicated to neglected and underutilized species[1].
Because most traditional crops are scarcely represented in ex situ gene banks, this
framework is very useful to monitor their level of genetic erosion and prevent
their possible loss. Moreover, although seeds of certain varieties may be available
at a global scale, this does not necessarily mean that these seeds are accessible
to smallholder farmers in remote and marginalised communities. So communities
need a preventive approach to conserving their agro-biodiversity.
How does this work in practice? The
Zimbabwean civil society organization Community Technology Development Trust
(CTDT) collaborates with LI-BIRD and the two organizations exchange ideas on
promoting sustainable use and conservation of local agro-biodiversity for rural
development. Thanks to this collaboration, in Zimbabwe, CTDT is implementing the
5 cell analysis in the form of a “Diversity Wheels” - as an activity embedded
into Community Seed Fairs in the poverty stricken districts of Tsholotsho,
Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP), Goromonzi and Chiredzi. This is a great strategy
because several proud farmers participate in the seed fairs and they have a
strong incentive to bring along their entire portfolio of seeds, in order to
win the seed fair competition. The seed
varieties are selected from those displayed at the community seed fair. A
facilitator then picks up one seed variety and asks the farmers: “How many of
you are growing this variety?” and “Is this variety grown in a large area of
land?” The community would then decide
in which segment of the Diversity Wheel the selected variety should be placed.
In this exercise, farmers also discuss why certain varieties are not being
grown any longer, or why they value a specific variety. They discuss whether
the variety is important to them and, if it is important and it is at risk, then
they reflect on how to proactively
ensure its conservation. Very valuable information on how farmers are
coping with climate change also emerge from these discussions. For example,
farmers in UMP highlighted that they are growing less of the traditional rice
varieties and Bambara ground nut because the growing seasons are becoming
shorter. In fact, they expect their traditional rice variety to disappear if
current rainfall patterns persist. With regard to the white groundnut variety,
7 out of the 10 farmers who were growing this crop lost it as a result of
drought. In addition to climate change
considerations, market demand and resistance to pests and diseases also play an
important role in farmers’ decisions on whether to grow a crop or not: farmers grow
groundnuts because there is high demand; pearl millet is attacked by birds and
they prefer the low yielding but “bearded” variety, which fends birds off by
pricking them. A major issue that also emerged during the Diversity Wheel
exercise is naming of the varieties:
modern varieties are not given local names whereas young people are not
aware of certain traditional varieties that are gradually eroding and do not
feature in formal taxonomy and characterisation exercises either.
Once the Diversity Wheel is fully
populated, farmers can easily visualise how their food security and diet
composition is evolving – are they growing only carbohydrates? Do the varieties
they are growing have different maturity dates? Are there opportunities to
learn agronomic practices from farmers who have been able to grow certain crops
that have failed in other farmers’ fields?
Of course, the Diversity Wheel is very useful tool for communities to
proactively manage their biodiversity for greater food security, adaptation to
climate change and to promote learning – kudos to LI-BIRD, Bioversity
International that have conceptualised it, to CTDT, Agritex and Zimbabwean
farmers who have so ably put it into practice, and to Oxfam Novib and the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the support and funding.
However, the story is a broader one – it is one of partnerships for a clear
common goal, where good ideas build onto each other and are viral and travel
across continents, and it is an example of a tool designed in such a way that
the farmers are clearly on the driver’s seat.