Hope Not Hype - Third World Network

Biotechnologies for Sustainable Cultures
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to develop systems for payment of ecosystem services. All of these issues require investment
in research, system development, and knowledge sharing… Another priority is participatory
plant breeding for yield increases in rainfed agrosystems, particularly in dry and remote
areas. Farmer participation can be used in the very early stages of breed selection to help
find crops suited to a multitude of environments and farmer preferences. It may be the only
feasible route for crop breeding in remote regions, where a high level of crop diversity is
required within the same farm, or for minor crops that are neglected by formal breeding
programs (Rosegrant and Cline, 2003, p. 1918).
The most unexpected aspect of this study is the consistently high yield ratios
[organic:conventional] from the developing world. These high yields are obtained when
farmers incorporate intensive agroecological techniques, such as crop rotation, cover cropping,
agroforestry, addition of organic fertilizers, or more efficient water management (Badgley
et al., 2007, p. 92).
Farmer participation builds local, national and regional capacity in several ways
(UNEP/UNCTAD, 2008). This capacity is a prerequisite for sustainability. First, it results
in accessible technologies, those that can be understood and manipulated by the farmers
themselves, and thus reduces reliance on imported “black box” technologies that require
outside experts and a tendency towards “one size fits all” solutions. Studies on the practice
of seed priming illustrate the advantage of locally accessible technology and its spread.
On-farm seed priming is not a new technology. Indeed, it is a recommended practice in
many states of India but is not common in the project area or elsewhere…We believe that
farmers cannot appreciate the wide range of benefits from seed priming unless they are
given the opportunity to experiment for themselves; to do their own research and development.
The participatory approach used in this study has been highly effective in empowering farmers
to test, develop and adapt seed priming and to appreciate its effects. It is difficult to overstate
the importance of group and community participation in evaluating potentially useful
technology (Harris et al., 2001, p. 162).
Second, it builds a capacity within the community to innovate and to teach, spreading
locally-appropriate technologies.
Involving farmers more actively in plant breeding has been much advocated and described
as participatory plant breeding (PPB). The reasons for involving farmers can vary from
empowerment to increasing the efficiency of classical breeding. Such increases in efficiency
are achieved because farmer participation better orients the breeding programme to the needs
of the clients (Gyawali et al., 2007, p. 88).
Third, involving the community preserves local and traditional knowledge by securing
it within evolving biotechnologies.