Farmers have developed a range of agricultural practices to sustainably use and maintain a wide diversity of crop species in many parts of the world. This book documents good practices innovated by farmers and collects key reviews on good practices from global experts, not only from the case study countries but also from Brazil, China and other parts of Asia and Latin America.
A good practice for diversity is defined as a system, organization or process that, over time and space, maintains, enhances and creates crop genetic diversity, and ensures its availability to and from farmers and other users. Drawing on experiences from a UNEP-GEF project on "Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wild and Cultivated Tropical Fruit Tree Diversity for Promoting Livelihoods, Food Security and Ecosystem Services", with case studies from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the authors show how methods for identifying good practices are still evolving and challenges in scaling-up remain. They identify key principles effective as a strategy for mainstreaming good practice into development efforts. Few books draw principles and lessons learned from good practices. This book fills this gap by combining good practices from the research project on tropical fruit trees with chapters from external experts to broaden its scope and relevance.
Download by chapter:
Part 1: Setting context
1. On-farm and in situ conservation of tropical fruit tree diversity: context and conceptual framework
2. Key concepts
Part 2: Good practices of agricultural biodiversity management and sustainable use
8. Good practice: using intraspecific crop diversity to manage pests and pathogens in China
10. Amazonian fruits: how farmers nurture nutritional diversity on farm and in the forest
Part 3: Case studies of the project 'Conservation and Sustainable Use of Tropical Fruit Tree Diversity' from South and Southeast Asia
Case studies: Propagation and planting materials
12. A set of interconnected practices which enhance and conserve mango diversity in Malihabad, India
Case studies: Production and crop management
18. Multivarietal orchards: an age-old conservation practice in mango
20. Management of Garcinia fusca for sustainable use
Case studies: Linking farmers with markets (commercialization that supports diversity maintenance and livelihoods of the poor)
23. Agrotourism in Kampung Kakeng, Serian: development and challenges
Case studies: Working with communities and multi-stakeholder partners
27. Community forests: utilization and informal regulation for tropical fruit tree conservation
29. Social capital building for tropical fruit tree diversity
Part 4: A Way Forward