Overview: 

Traditionally farmers use diverse crops, trees and wild plant species, livestock and aquatic species to sustain/enhance their livelihood. The use of diverse species and varieties enhances their adaptability and resilience capacity to changing environmental and economic conditions. Genetic diversity is a key element in farmers’ livelihood strategies particularly in areas under high ecological, climatic and economic stresses and risks. Global food security has become increasingly dependent on a limited number of varieties of a few major crops and in the wake of climate change, such a situation makes farmers more vulnerable with regard to their nutrition and income security. This paper aims to discuss the conceptual framework of on-farm/in situ conservation in adapting and mitigating climate change through an integrated system of diversified food production and land use.

Key Finding: 

The role of on-farm/in situ conservation of crops is discussed along with its complementary advantages over ex situ conservation. Empowerment of farming communities is essential for effective in situ/on-farm conservation as the process encourages local level decision making on management of genetic resources. The paper also highlights community-based biodiversity management as a methodology to realize in situ/on-farm conservation through strengthening farmer seed systems, and promoting climate resilient integrated home garden production systems, especially underutilized crop species and carbon rich farming that support climate change actions. Specifically:

• Genetic diversity and resilience: On-farm conservation allows for the continuous evolution of crop varieties, enhancing their adaptability to changing environmental conditions. This is particularly important in the face of climate change, where diverse genetic resources can provide resilience against unpredictable weather patterns and new pests.

• Complementary to ex situ conservation: While ex situ conservation (e.g., gene banks) is useful for preserving genetic material, it lacks the dynamic evolutionary processes that occur in on-farm conservation. On-farm methods also preserve traditional knowledge and cultural practices associated with biodiversity.

• Community empowerment: Effective on-farm conservation requires the empowerment of local farming communities, enabling them to make decisions about the management of genetic resources. Community-based biodiversity management (CBM) is highlighted as a key methodology for achieving this.

• Underutilized crops (NUS): Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) play a crucial role in climate change adaptation. These species are often well-adapted to extreme environments and can provide food security and income diversification for farmers in marginal areas.

• Climate change impacts: Climate change is expected to alter growing conditions, making current crop varieties less suitable. On-farm conservation of diverse crop varieties, including NUS, can provide immediate alternatives and genetic materials for developing stress-tolerant varieties.

Recommendations: 

Implementation of biodiversity management approaches will require conducive policy environment in order to be truly effective and sustainable. Some relevant recommendations on how to best proceed towards a viable in situ/on -farm conservation system are also proposed.

• Strengthen farmer seed systems: Support informal seed networks and farmer-to-farmer exchanges to ensure access to locally adapted genetic resources. This includes promoting community seed banks and participatory plant breeding programs.

• Promote integrated farming systems: Encourage the integration of crops, livestock, and agroforestry to enhance resilience and carbon sequestration. This can be supported through policies that incentivize agrobiodiversity conservation.

• Policy support for on-farm conservation: Develop policies that empower local communities to manage agricultural biodiversity. This includes creating incentives for farmers who maintain diverse crops and traditional varieties.

• Research and monitoring: Increase research efforts to document and monitor the status of underutilized species and their role in climate change adaptation. Establish early warning systems to track the impact of climate change on agricultural biodiversity.

• Expand conservation efforts: Broaden the scope of international conservation efforts to include more underutilized species, particularly those not currently covered by global treaties like the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources.