This seed is like ourselves: A case study from Rajasthan, India, on the social aspects of biodiversity and farmers management of pearl millet seed (Kommunikation und Beratung) - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

This book is based on fifteen months of intensive field studies carried out in the semi-arid state of Rajasthan, India. Pearl millet is the staple crop in this area, and the “adoption” of modern crop varieties has so far been limited. Many farmers produce their own seed, and use traditional landraces and modern varieties as complementary options, or as “breeding material” for their own crop improvement strategies. A traditional system for seed distribution has ensured the survival of various landraces, and it also ensures that poor farmers have access to seed and can share innovations at moderate cost. However, the availability of modern varieties that particularly suit the needs of farmers with better land resources have not only modified farmers’ practices and their pearl millet seed. The on-going process of change also has far-reaching consequences for seed and food security, human health and nutrition, and social relations within villages. More than 900 farmers participated in the research activities. A participatory and gender-sensitive approach allowed women and men of different economic status to contribute their knowledge and views. The inclusion of original statements made by the rural people allow the reader to intimately share in their experiences. The interdisciplinary collaboration between the author and a population geneticist allowed recent research results from the perspective of natural sciences to be included in the discussion. When these results are considered, the farmers’ selection practices appear to make a great deal of sense. This work therefore contributes to the actual debate on the conservation of genetic resources, seed systems and participatory plant breeding, and, more generally, the reorientation of international agricultural research.

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