Minor millets in South Asia: learnings from IFAD-NUS project in India ...

162 minor millets in south asia
25 from the participating farmers in Kaski district. This clearly indicated possible
spread of PVS varieties within the district through farmer to farmer network. In
Syanjya district, majority of farmers (60%) responded that Okhale 1 produced lower
yield as compared to the local landraces.
The adaptability of the local landraces was found to be much site specific because
almost all local genotypes collected from locations other than Kaski performed poorly
in diversity block under farmers’ inputs and management conditions. This strongly
supported the on-farm conservation and promotion of locally adapted landraces.
However, some of the landraces such as Kalo Jhyape in Kaski district and Chitwane
in Nuwakot district performed equally better across sites in diversity blocks and
were also preferred by the farmers.
6.4 Setting-up local seed supply system
Seed production of farmer preferred varieties and landraces identified through
participatory variety selection (PVS) in 2002 and 2003, namely, GPU 25, ACC.523-1, Kalo
Dalle and Samdhi Kodo, was initiated in both project villages. Standard seed production
procedures (selection and rouging) were carried out in approximately 1 ropani (500 m 2 )
area for each variety. In 2004, the project produced 135 kg seed of four selected varieties
(Table 11). The project also saved 72 kg seed for distribution to farmers through the
network of DADOs of this region in 2005 season for further popularization.
Table 11. Seed production of farmers’ preferred varieties in 2004
Variety Seed produced
(kg)
Kalabang site Ralmare site Total
Seed saved
(kg)
gpu 25 - 45 45 20
aCC. 523-1 40 - 40 20
Kalo dalle 30 - 30 22
samdhi Kodo - 20 20 10
Total 70 65 135 72
6.5 Farmers’ contribution towards on-farm conservation and landrace
enhancement
Since the crop genetic resources are eroding very fast, the project duly emphasized
on the need for conservation of finger millet germplasm through various approaches.
Eight landraces including the two rare landraces, Urso and Kukurkane, were collected
and sent to national programme for ex situ conservation in the genebank. The farming
communities also maintained diversity blocks of different varieties to provide seeds
in the villages. Another important aspect of genetic resource conservation was the
landrace enhancement meant to increase production and productivity. Every year,
farmers’ groups in each site established diversity blocks (plot size 4 m 2 each) with