Document(s) 7 of 9

Part 6

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

In the first four parts of this book we examined some of the issues surrounding the loss of agrobiodiversity, reviewed 10 years of support for agrobiodiversity and PPB research around the world, and described some significant achievements as well as what has been learned as a result of this effort. It has also become clear that there is still much to be done and a great deal more to be learned.

In response to this need, the preceding chapter presented a series of six recommendations for action:

• Action on a global scale that would bring about the changes that are needed to support the processes that maintain diversity;
• Action that would break down the barriers between research "in the lab" and experimentation in the farmers' fields;
• Action that would build on this base of knowledge and experiences to create a greater awareness of the importance of conserving agrobiodiversity and bring about widespread implementation of the PPB methodology.

Recommendations, of course, are just words. What matters
is implementation, and that represents a major political challenge. In this final chapter let's extrapolate from those recommendations. What follows is a speculative look at how things could be 10 years from now. In this journey into the future we will assume that NGOs, NARS, CGIAR, the policymakers, and the donors found the will and the resources to implement these recommendations. It is now 2012. Let's revisit the six recommendations presented in Part 5 to see where they might lead.

Increased relevance

In China, the involvement of agricultural policymakers and policy institutions in the project is crucial. Through their involvement they can see for themselves that things can be done in a different way.

-- Yiching Song (project leader, China, 2002)

Seeds are no longer an afterthought

In the China of 2012, agricultural policymakers and policy institutions have been actively involved in efforts to conserve biodiversity. As a result, the critical importance of conserving agricultural biodiversity is widely accepted, and PPB has been embraced as a new and rational way of improving crops and increasing plant genetic diversity. Equally important, PPB has also been accepted as a new way of doing research. But it is understood that PPB efforts on their own cannot be sustained if the context in which they operate does not provide the space and support. Therefore, society's ways of thinking about how food is produced and biodiversity is maintained has undergone dramatic change. "Taking care of the land" has been accepted as the guiding norm by all those involved in the food-production chain, from farmers and researchers to processors and policymakers. As a result, production has increased -- particularly in those regions where it is needed most -- and a continuous process is underway to innovate agricultural sciences, technologies, and policies.

PPB and biodiversity conservation have been bridged with sustainable agriculture and rural development. PPB has been taken out of its box. The focus is no longer solely on crops and crop diversity but also encompasses the people -- the women and men whose knowledge, skills, and adaptive management practices maintain and depend on the variety of agricultural resources on-farm and off-farm.

Perhaps most significantly, seeds are no longer seen as an afterthought. PPB is one side of the coin, seed production and exchange systems are the other; they are inseparable. In this vision of the future it is broadly accepted that PPB, vital as it is, can be sustained only if there are viable and dynamic, local and national seed systems. In Guangxi, for example, numerous small companies have sprung up, many of them led by women. They stock and sell a much wider range of maize landraces and open-pollinated varieties than was available just a few years earlier.

New partnerships

The Farmers Research Committee is one of the unique groups involved in varietal development activities in Nepal. During visits to the research station before their involvement in varietal development, they criticized the researchers. But with 3 or 4 years of exposure to the research process, their understanding has been increased.

-- Sanjaya Gyawali (researcher, Nepal, 2002)

Everything connects

In this new environment where PPB is accepted as the norm, it is only natural that local community-based agrobiodiversity conservation and improvement activities are connected to changes at the international and national policy levels. Thus there is opportunity for community input to global arrangements such as the CBD, the FAO's International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, and the WTO's agreement on the trade-related aspects of IPR. In this way the global context supports the diversity of local efforts, and the local diversity informs and guides the global.

Because it was a pioneer in this field, Nepal in 2012 is a leader and seen by many as an example to follow. Farmers' committees, made up of about equal numbers of women and men, now work closely with the formal sector in developing and evaluating new varieties, and in testing postharvest technology. Recognition by the government of farmers' rights has not only brought new respect to rural communities, it has also raised the level of participation in community affairs and improved local economies. Biodiversity fairs are popular and well attended, and the winners at these fairs are invited to become members of local and regional variety-release committees.

Quality interaction and cooperation

Even though I am a strong believer in the quality of science in PPB, the key factor in the success of a project is the establishment of good human relationships, and this in turn is based on respect. I have learned that this is the major difficulty that some NARS and international scientists have.

-- Salvatore Ceccarelli (project leader, Syria, 2002)

Recognizing farmers' contributions

Given the broad-based acceptance of PPB, it is accepted as a normal state of affairs in 2012 that researchers, extension agents, and farmers -- as well as other stakeholders, such as processors and traders -- work together side by side. They all are making better use of researchers' access to knowledge, from breeding principles and methodologies to seeds and technologies to social science insights. All these stakeholders rely more on farmers' know-how, management, and organizational capacities to be able to address more precisely the needs and interests of a broad range of users, differentiated through factors such as gender, class, age, and ethnicity.

As a result of changing attitudes, ethical issues and intellectual property rights are a standard and important part of the research and policy agenda and discussed from the very beginning of new initiatives. Many issues that were previously ignored are now raised and dealt with. These include prior informed consent, explicit ex ante defined access- and benefit-sharing agreements, recognition of farmers' contributions to the creative process, and recognition of the farmer's rights to distribute, exchange, or sell seeds. These issues have been incorporated in policies and practices of CGIAR centres, NARS, and NGOs, and are part of the curriculum in training programs and teaching courses.

Good practice mainstreamed

The main achievements to date are the changes taking place in the plant breeding structure and process -- to arrive at a more farmer-oriented science. These changes are for the longer term, not just for a project cycle. They include the decentralization of testing to off-farm sites, on-farm trial designs which are interpretable by farmers and which are conducted under "real farmer" input levels, and serious use and integration of farmer evaluations.

-- Louise Sperling (former PRGA/PPB coordinator, 2002)

Building on success

Because of the increased acceptance of and interest in PPB, documentation and analyses of longer term diversity trends are more readily available. Toward the end of 2012, a workshop on PPB practices is attended by more than 150 researchers, research managers, farmers, and government officials from around the world. A few of the participants recall a similar, much smaller workshop in 2002 at which promising signs of progress in the PPB field were reported. At this gathering 10 years on it is reported that sound social analysis is now common practice in many countries. Researchers and policymakers pay systematic attention to resource tenure and its links with diversity and the livelihoods of rural people, especially the rural poor. Several participants report that they now routinely include analyses of power relationships, organizational processes, and policy-making processes as an integral part of biodiversity research projects.

An agriculture ministry representative speaks of the impact of PPB on policy-making, and emphasizes the need for government policies to remain flexible and informed by on-the-ground realities. The key, she says, is for adaptive, participatory research and natural resource management approaches to allow the custodians of biodiversity to deal more effectively with heterogeneous and changing agroecosystems.

A group of farmers and researchers from Cuba report that legislation designed specifically to recognize farmers' contributions to crop diversity and improvement, and that guarantees fair access to diversity and fair benefit sharing, has recently been put in place and is being respected. This legislation is already having a positive effect on the lives of farmers nationwide.

Quality participation

Women welcome the invitation to take part in a CIAL in their community. I think this positive response has to do with their perception of a CIAL being a window to improving their livelihood conditions. They also think that being part of a CIAL allows them to show their skills, capacity, and potential; and in this way they are able to contribute to solving the problems of their community.

-- Noemi Espinoza (researcher, Nicaragua, 2002)

Gaining respect and influence

Across Latin America in the year 2012, CIALs are now more than a movement, in many countries they are part of, and supported by, the Ministry of Agriculture. CIAL representatives are respected and influential members of provincial and national policy advisory bodies in Nicaragua and a number of other nations. Governments as well as national and international institutions allocate resources to ensure that PPB is central to all agricultural research and policy efforts.

In the field, monitoring and evaluation are no longer the sole prerogative of the researchers. This important task is now carried out with the active participation of farmers and other stakeholders, who monitor and evaluate research or development activities. This has come about in large part because of the widespread adoption of the PME process, which has enhanced both the quality and the reach of people's participation.

The CIAL is generally a much more inclusive organization and welcomes those who for a long time were not meaningful participants -- particularly women and members of poorer households. This appears to have come about as a result of careful reflection on decision making in the various steps of the research and development cycle. Collaborative forms of participation, decision-making, and agenda setting are now common practice.

Perhaps most significantly, the CIAL model has "traveled" to other part of the world. In Asia and Africa, and even in some countries of the North, communities are forming their own versions of the "local agricultural research committee" to gain a greater measure of control over their biodiversity and their livelihoods.

An active new generation of practitioners

What we want to get to is the training of professionals who are capable of working with both the natural and the social sciences.

-- Humberto Ríos Labrada
(INCA project leader, Cuba, 2002)

Training tomorrow's leaders

Last, but definitely not least, the widespread acceptance of PPB as a new research methodology has made available the resources needed to develop new teaching and training methodology and materials that meet the demand for more and better training. An annual PPB course in Cuba attracts researchers from all over the world. In 2012, PPB has caught the imagination of a new generation of young professionals who want to get involved in the worldwide effort to conserve biodiversity. They will be the researchers and managers of tomorrow -- key players and willing participants finally in quantities essential to sustaining agrobiodiversity research programs.

Document(s) 7 of 9