Impacts of Seed Clubs in Ensuring Local Seed Systems in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Tin, Huynh Quang; Cuc, Nguyen Hong; Be, Tran Thanh; Ignacio, Normita; Berg, Trygve

doi:10.1080/10440046.2011.611746

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Nonetheless, it is possible to distinguish formal vs. informal seed systems, as was recently done by a study of rice seed supply in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Here, informal seed systems were shown to outperform formal ones not just in the quantity of delivered seed, but also in the diversity of cultivated rice landraces (Tin et al 2011). Recent decades have seen progressive loss of local varieties and widespread adoption of the mono-cultural production of a few crops with low intra-specific diversity in most developed countries ).…”

Section: There Is a Continuum Between Formal And Informal Seed Exchanmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Statistical tests typically result in likely and not certain knowledge (Johnson and Bhattacharyya 2009). For seed exchange networks, an example is the finding by Tin et al (2011) of a significantly higher diversity of rice landraces in informal seed systems compared to formal ones in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Structural equation modeling is a statistical approach to analyze data so as to test between alternative hypotheses linking the putative causal factors (Nettle et al 2007;Nettle 2009;Budtz-Jorgensen et al 2010).…”

Section: Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Seed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review

Pautasso

Aistara²,

Barnaud

et al. 2012

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

211

149

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The circulation of seed among farmers is central to agrobiodiversity conservation and dynamics. Agrobiodiversity, the diversity of agricultural systems from genes to varieties and crop species, from farming methods to landscape composition, is part of humanity's cultural heritage. Whereas agrobiodiversity conservation has received much attention from researchers and policy makers over the last decades, the methods available to study the role of seed exchange networks in preserving crop biodiversity have only recently begun to be considered. In this overview, we present key concepts, methods, and challenges to better understand seed exchange networks so as to improve the chances that traditional crop varieties (landraces) will be preserved and used sustainably around the world. The available literature suggests that there is insufficient knowledge about the social, cultural, and methodological dimensions of environmental change, including how seed exchange networks will cope with changes in climates, socio-economic factors, and family structures that have supported seed exchange systems to date. Methods available to study the role of seed exchange networks in the preservation and adaptation of crop specific and genetic diversity range from meta-analysis to modelling, from participatory approaches to the development of bio-indicators, from genetic to biogeographical studies, from anthropological and ethnographic research to the use of network theory. We advocate a diversity of approaches, so as to foster the creation of robust and policy-relevant knowledge. Open challenges in the study of the role of seed exchange networks in biodiversity conservation include the development of methods to (i) enhance farmers' participation to decision-making in agro-ecosystems, (ii) integrate ex situ and in situ approaches, (iii) achieve interdisciplinary research collaboration between social and natural scientists, and (iv) use network analysis as a conceptual framework to bridge boundaries among researchers, farmers and policy makers, as well as other stakeholders. (Résumé d'auteur

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Section: There Is a Continuum Between Formal And Informal Seed Exchanmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Scenariosmentioning

confidence: 98%

Seed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review

Pautasso

Aistara²,

Barnaud

et al. 2012

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

211

149

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The informal sector is often seen as and called a farmer seed system (reviewed: Coomes et al 2015), with farmers producing planting material for their own use and to exchange with or sell to other farmers (Abay et al 2011;Almekinders et al 1994;Samberg et al 2013). Such farmer seed systems (Aw-Hassan et al 2008;Sperling and McGuire 2010;Witcombe et al 2010;Takoutsing et al 2012;Tin et al 2011) and farmer seed businesses (de Boef and Thijssen 2010; Louwaars and de Boef 2012; Neate and Guei 2010) have often been promoted to improve the distribution of planting material. Our study of the sweetpotato seed systems in northern Uganda has not revealed a specifically farmer seed system, but instead a more diverse system comprised of specialist multipliers (some acting also as aggregators), traders, transporters and sellers (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovative and beneficial informal sweetpotato seed private enterprise in northern Uganda

et al. 2017

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Research conducted in the informal sweetpotato seed (vines) supply system in the Gulu region, northern Uganda (2013Uganda ( -2015 revealed a diverse set of actors using private enterprise in a range of selling and marketing channels. The different channels offer an efficient and effective marketing system, providing different services and conveniences for farmers at different prices. The actors include local vine multipliers, traders, dry season root farmers, transporters and town sellers. The local multipliers and dry season root farmers grow crops during the dry season in swampy areas and sell the vines in the following rainy season to the many farmers who lack access to such areas and therefore lack vines to plant. The presentation and discussion of this case study adds to an expanding argument in the literature for increased attention to support actors in informal food crop sectors who are providing sustainable production and marketing systems on a platform of beneficial and innovative private enterprise. Through their commercial operations, vine multipliers and other actors can effectively meet the demand of customers and at the right time and place. With suitable dissemination programmes installed, these actors could also offer access to new varieties otherwise unavailable to the majority of farmers.

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“…The traditional seed system and production of quality seed on-farm are considered the key elements for the perpetuation of the agro-biodiversity [4,28]. In Vietnam, Tin et al [29] have established that the number of rice varieties managed by seed clubs in the informal system was generally very high which lead to high on-farm diversity. Similarly in Mexico a large number of small-scale maize farmers continue to rely on the traditional seed systems which is fundamental for farmers' livelihoods and conservation of maize land races [30].…”

Section: Farmers Perceptions On Climate Change and Threats To Cerealsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Perspectives on the On-Farm Diversity of Six Major Cereals and Climate Change in Bhutan

Katwal

Dorji²,

Dorji

et al. 2015

Agriculture

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Subsistence Bhutanese farmers spread across different agro-ecological zones maintain large species and varietal diversity of different crops in their farm. However, no studies have been undertaken yet to assess why farmers conserve and maintain large agro-biodiversity, the extent of agro-ecological richness, species richness, estimated loss of traditional varieties and threats to the loss of on-farm agro-biodiversity. Information on the number of varieties cultivated by the farmers for six important staple crops were collected from nine districts and twenty sub-districts spread across six different agro-ecological zones of the country to understand farmers reasons for maintaining on-farm crop diversity, estimate OPEN ACCESSAgriculture 2015, 5 3 agro-ecological richness, species richness and the overall loss of traditional varieties, to know the famers' level of awareness on climate change and the different threats to crop diversity. The results from this study indicated that an overwhelming 93% of the respondents manage and use agro-biodiversity for household food security and livelihood. The average agro-ecological richness ranged from 1.17 to 2.26 while the average species richness ranged from 0.50 to 2.66. The average agro-ecological richness indicates a large agro-ecological heterogeneity in terms of the different species of staple crops cultivated. The average species richness on the other hand shows that agro-ecological heterogeneity determines the type and extent of the cultivation of the six different staple cereals under consideration. The overall loss of traditional varieties in a time period of 20 years stands at 28.57%. On climate change, 94% of the farmers recognize that local climate is changing while 86% responded that they are aware of the potential impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. Climate change and associated factors was considered the most imminent threat to the management and loss of on-farm agro-biodiversity. The results from this study indicate that on-farm agro-biodiversity conservation, development and utilization programs have to be more specific to the different agro-ecological zones considering the agro-ecological heterogeneity. Attention has to be given to individual crops that have low average species richness and high percentage of loss of traditional varieties. The impact of climate change could offset the traditional seed system which primarily supports the persistence of on-farm agro-biodiversity in several ways.

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Impacts of Seed Clubs in Ensuring Local Seed Systems in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Cited by 26 publications

References 3 publications

Seed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review

Seed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review

Innovative and beneficial informal sweetpotato seed private enterprise in northern Uganda

Community Perspectives on the On-Farm Diversity of Six Major Cereals and Climate Change in Bhutan

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