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In recent years, research has yielded a rapidly growing knowledge base on how agricultural biodiversity is linked to food security, nutrition, livelihoods, environmental sustainability and climate change. It is now urgent to inform higher agricultural education systems accordingly, with a view to integrating such knowledge into curricula. At present, agrobiodiversity courses or programmes are rare or non-existent, according to regional consultations with universities in 2009 and 2010.

This book discusses key issues in agrobiodiversity education and presents a curriculum framework of 14 topics central to agrobiodiversity processes, conservation and management.  Each topic is briefly introduced along with key learning points, suggested contents, a bibliography and a list of internet resources. The Guide is flexible to fit a range of institutional settings. It suggests suitable ‘entry points’ for quickly integrating aspects of agrobiodiversity into existing courses. It could be used in formal curriculum reviews and in designing short training courses.

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This paper explores the possibilities of incorporating molecular marker data into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to allow visualization and better understanding of spatial patterns of genetic diversity as a key input to optimize conservation and use of plant genetic resources, based on a case study of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.), a Neotropical fruit tree species.  Spatial analyses are presented  to (1) improve the understanding of spatial distribution of genetic diversity of cherimoya natural stands and cultivated trees in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru based on microsatellite molecular markers (SSRs); and (2) formulate optimal conservation strategies by revealing priority areas for in situ conservation, and identifying existing diversity gaps in ex situ collections.

This brief summarizes the findings of the 2008 study carried out by Bioversity International and its partners that investigated two major issues relating to conservation of coffee germplasm: 

1. What are the real threats to and losses of coffee germplasm held globally in field genebanks?

2. How do the costs of cryopreservation compare with those of maintaining coffee field collections for long-term conservation? The study shows that the costs of cryopreservation should not be considered prohibitive to establishing duplicate, back-up collections of coffee. If cryopreservation is adopted as a complement to field genebanks, the costs of cryopreservation must be added to existing costs of field conservation. However, field collections could be reduced and at least partly between cryopreservation and field collection to ensure the longterm, cost-efficient conservation of coffee genetic resources. This study investigated coffee as a test case, but the results are relevant to other species that are difficult to conserve using the traditional method of seed drying and low-temperature storage. The underlying objective of the study was to assess the potential impact of the widespread adoption of cryopreservation for more species and in more genebanks

Subsistence-based and natural resource-dependent societies are especially vulnerable to climate change. In such contexts, food security needs to be strengthened by investing in the adaptability of food systems. This paper looks into the role of agrobiodiversity conservation for food security in the face of climate change. It identifies agrobiodiversity as a key public good that delivers necessary services for human wellbeing. We argue that the public values provided by agrobiodiversity conservation need to be demonstrated and captured. We offer an economic perspective of this challenge and highlight ways of capturing at least a subset of the public values of agrobiodiversity to help adapt to and reduce the vulnerability of subsistence based economies to climate change.

Crop wild relatives (CWR) are plant species which are more or less closely related to crops. They are the repositories of genetic variation that can be used in breeding new and better adapted crop varieties that are resistant to stress, disease and more importantly the impact of climate change. The main conservation strategy adopted for CWR has been Ex situ. Now the need to conserve CWR in their natural surroundings (In situ) is increasingly recognized. Research coordinated by Bioversity International has produced a wealth of information on good practices and lessons learned for their effective conservation. This book captures the important experiences of countries participating in this work - Armenia, Bolivia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan - and provides practical, relevant information and guidance for the scaling-up of actions targeting CWR conservation around the world.

  Malian farmers have been cultivating millet and sorghum for millennia, but they are slow to adopt and develop modern varieties because it is difficult to observe the difference in yields in their fields, given the challenging local growing conditions. Farmer participatory approaches are therefore recommended. This paper applies an instrumental variables method to survey data from Mali to evaluate the impacys of Diversity Field Fora, a type of farmer field school which aims to boost millet and sorghum yields by showing farmers how to manage diverse varieties. Impact indicators are expected and recalled millet and sorghum yields. the total number of unique attributes of millet and sorghum varieties stocked as seed, and the relative deprivation of the household farm with respect to these indicators. The findings suggest the project has had results at one of two sites where it has been implemented with the same local leadership and more intensively over a longer time frame.

The brief summarizes an evaluation of the impact of one participatory research effort known as diversity field forums (DFFs). DFFs bear some similarities to farmer field schools - an approach to improving crop management practices that involves teaching groups of farmers how to solve problems, set priorities and conduct research through facilitated, handson sessions in fields allocated by the farming community. The Forums aim to strenghten the capacity of farmers to understand, analyse and manage their own plant genetic resources by creating a physical space that facilitates the exchange of ideas among farmers, extension agents and researchers and encourages farmers to experiment with different varieties and production approaches. The project, Empowering Sahelian farmers to leverage their crop diversity assets for enhanced livelihood strategies, was funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) from 2005, coordinated by Bioversity International and implemented by a combination of local, national and international organizations. Villagers designed and conducted the field trials, with technical support from project staff, on land that they had set aside for the purpose. Farmers studied both modern varieties and landraces.

The paper contains a morphobiometrics analysis of seeds of Phaseolus L. from 50 populations belonging to 31 wild and cultivated taxa. Based on the outcome of the study an identification key was developed comprising 25 morphotypes of which 23 related to individual taxa.

Bioversity International annual report for 2010, containing stories about our work, financial information, publications and staff list.