Research
Experts call for action to address the loss of knowledge about plants
Concerned by the alarming loss of plant species, on 1-2 May international experts met in St Louis, USA, calling for a concerted worldwide effort to address the loss of essential knowledge about plants and their uses, especially at the level of local communities.
Zooming in on nutrition-sensitive landscapes
At Nutrition-sensitive landscapes, a CIFOR and ICRAF organized side-event at the Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, Bioversity International's researcher Céline Termote spoke about putting people at the centre of the landscapes approach: "Food is an expression of their culture, we must not forget that," she said. Photo: CIFOR
International conferences and meetings
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On-farm conservation, neglected and underutilised species, and the challenge of climate change - a new Bioversity project
Reducing processing times for neglected and underutilized crops, for example, using an electric mill to process minor millets, is just one way to help bring neglected and underutilized crops back into use.
Bioversity, with its partners in India, Nepal and Bolivia, has launched a project to enhance on-farm conservation of neglected and underutilized crops: 'Reinforcing the resilience of poor rural communities in the face of food insecurity, poverty and climate change through on-farm conservation of local agrobiodiversity'.
The current and unprecedented loss of species, varieties and associated traditional knowledge at the farm level is having a dramatic impact on the food and nutritional security of poor smallholder farming communities and their ability to cope with climate change.
The 2010 FAO State of the World Report II on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture paints an alarming picture - despite considerable progress in ex situ conservation, only limited efforts to curb on farm genetic and cultural erosion have been recorded, yet this is where the most diversity is found.
Working closely with national and international scientists, smallholder farmers and user groups of target species, the project will:
- investigate the use of neglected and underutilized species in increasing the adaptation and resilience of production systems in the face of climate change
- examine the role of men and women farmers in conservation practices
- develop participatory monitoring systems for local agrobiodiversity
- strengthen on farm conservation and the role of custodian farmers
The project was launched on 14 June 2011 and will last for 3 years. It builds on 10 years of recently completed research by Bioversity International and its partners in South and West Asia, Latin America and North Africa. Find out more by watching this short video - Minor Millets and Women Empowerment in India.
Bioversity will be posting regular updates about the project so keep checking the website or subscribe to our news feed
This research has been made possible by the generosity of our supporters and implementation partners, for a full list click here
For more information:
 | Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR consortium |
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This work by Bioversity International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |
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