Biodiversity Profile of Afghanistan - Disasters and Conflicts - UNEP

16 Afghanistan’s Agricultural
Biodiversity
Agricultural. biodiversity. refers. to. the. variety.
of.species.of.crops.and.livestock.that.farmers.
employ,.the.genetic.variability.within.each.of.
those.species.as.indicated.by.the.diversity.of.
varieties. raised,. and. the. genetic. variability.
of. the. wild. progenitors. of. domesticated.
species..
16.1 The Significance of
Agricultural Biodiversity
Agricultural.biodiversity.is.important.because.it.
provides.the.farmer.with.the.flexibility.to.adapt.
to. changing. conditions.. Under. any. given. set.
of. stable. conditions,. the. best. single. variety. of.
the.best.species.will.provide.the.greatest.yield.
per. unit. of. land,. labour. and. money. invested..
Consequently. farmers. often. concentrate. their.
efforts. on. raising. the. most. favourable. species.
and. variety. to. the. exclusion. of. others.. When.
times. are. good,. this. monocropping. strategy.
can.result.in.large.yields..However,.the.strategy.
is. risky. because. if. the. rains. do. not. come,. if.
an. insect. attacks. the. crops,. or. if. a. disease.
strikes. the. livestock,. the. farmer. who. depends.
on.one.species.or.variety.can.lose.everything..
Monocropping.is.therefore.a.high.yield/high.risk.
approach.to.agriculture..
The. risks. of. monocropping. are. illustrated.
dramatically.by.the.disastrous.Irish.Potato.Famine.
of.1845.–.1848..Potatoes.grow.well.in.Ireland.and.
much.of.the.population.came.to.depend.solely.
on. large. harvests. from. a. particular. variety. of.
potato..In.1845,.the.fungus.blight.(Phytophthora
infestans). struck. and. destroyed. the. potato.
crop.for.three.years.in.a.row..So.dependent.on.
potatoes.were.the.poor.people.of.Ireland.that.
an.estimated.one.million.people.died.and.more.
than.1.5.million.people.emigrated..Blight.resistant.
potato.varieties.were.subsequently.developed,.
with.many.incorporating.resistance.genes.from.
species. of. wild. potato.. The. Irish. Potato. Famine.
illustrates. the. importance. of. maintaining. a.
diversity. of. species. and. genetic. varieties. and.
in. preserving. the. reservoir. of. genetic. diversity.
existing.in.the.wild..
for Global Environment Management (NCSA) for Afghanistan
16.2 Varieties of Agricultural
Species
“Landraces”. are. varieties. of. a. crop. or. livestock.
species.developed.by.farmers.through.conscious.
or. unconscious. selective. breeding.. Landraces.
are.highly.adapted.to.local.conditions..Different.
landraces.incorporate.a.huge.amount.of.genetic.
variability. and. are. the. source. of. most. genetic.
resistance. incorporated. into. improved. seed.
sources..Mountainous.regions,.such.as.Afghanistan,.
are.rich.in.landraces.because.of.the.isolation.and.
differing. conditions. in. nearby. mountain. valleys..
Landraces.often.do.not.produce.yields.as.large.
as.new,.“improved”.varieties,.although.they.almost.
always. require. fewer. chemicals. and. less. land.
preparation. and. they. are. more. resistant. to. the.
specific. environmental. challenges. found. in. the.
local.environment..Planting.landraces.is.often.less.
expensive.and.risky.compared.to.planting.hightech.imported.seed..In.Afghanistan,.most.crops.
planted.in.rainfed.areas.are.still.local.landraces.
while.improved.seed.is.increasingly.being.used.
in.irrigated.areas.(ICARDA.2002)..Experiments.in.
Afghanistan.showed.that.improved,.foreign.breeds.
of.sheep.could.not.survive.the.poor.ranges.that.
local.breeds.were.able.to.utilize.(Yalcin,.1979.in.
Adil.2000).
Many. traditional. varieties. and. landraces. of.
cultivated.species.are.being.lost..Several.hundred.
years.ago,.carrots.grew.in.a.rainbow.of.colors—
red,.purple,.yellow,.white.and.orange,.but.now.only.
orange.and.reddish.carrots.remain..Early.farmers.
had.to.plant.many.varieties.of.each.crop.so.at.
least.something.would.make.it.to.harvest.through.
the.vagaries.of.drought,.flood.and.disease.during.
the.growing.season..The.development.of.hybrid.
seeds,.improved.livestock.breeds,.veterinary.drugs,.
pesticides,.chemical.fertilizers.and.farm.machinery.
gives.farmers.more.control.over.growing.conditions.
allowing.the.use.of.only.few.of.the.most.productive.
varieties..Consequently,.many.landraces.of.plants.
and.animals.are.in.danger.of.being.lost.along.with.
their.genetic.resources..
The. value. of. genetic. variability. encompassed.
by. farmer-developed. landraces. of. crop. plants.
has. long. been. known.. Consequently,. there. are.
many.seed.banks.around.the.world.that.preserve.
as. wide. a. diversity. of. genetic. adaptations. as.
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