Social Organization of Crop Genetic Diversity. The G × E × S Interaction Model

Abstract

A better knowledge of factors organizing crop genetic diversity in situ increases the efficiency of diversity analyses and conservation strategies, and requires collaboration between social and biological disciplines. Four areas of anthropology may contribute to our understanding of the impact of social factors on crop diversity: ethnobotany, cultural, cognitive and social anthropology. So far, most collaborative studies have been based on ethnobotanical methods, focusing on farmers’ individual motivations and actions, and overlooking the effects of farmer’s social organization per se. After reviewing common shortcomings in studies on sorghum and maize, this article analyzes how social anthropology, through the analysis of intermarriage, residence and seed inheritance practices, can contribute to studies on crop genetic diversity in situ. Crop varieties are thus considered social objects and socially based sampling strategies can be developed. Such an approach is justified because seed exchange is built upon trust and as such seed systems are embedded in a pre-existing social structure and centripetally oriented as a function of farmers’ social identity. The strong analogy between farmers’ cultural differentiation and crop genetic differentiation, both submitted to the same vertical transmission processes, allows proposing a common methodological framework for social anthropology and crop population genetics, where the classical interaction between genetic and environmental factors, G × E, is replaced by a three-way interaction G × E × S, where “S” stands for the social differentiation factors

Ethnolinguistic structuring of sorghum genetic diversity in Africa and the role of local seed systems

“…The association between the race kafir and the Bantu agricultural tradition is a well-established theory (2,10,14,29,44). In this study, we found that 90% of the sorghums in the Southern population were from the Niger-Congo language family areas where Bantu languages are spoken, and 46% of them were classified as kafir.…”

“…operating at finer scales. On-farm management of crop varieties and cultural boundaries influencing the diffusion of seeds, practices, and knowledge are important local-scale explanatory factors behind patterns of regional and continental scale associations between ethnolinguistic groups and crop genetic structure (27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Tartary Buckwheat Genetic Diversity in the Himalayas Associated with Farmer Landrace Diversity and Low Dietary Dependence

“…Neighborhood groups [9] and marriage exchanges are other social factors that shape crop diversity at local and regional levels [16][17][18][19].…”

“…While ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic factors influence crop genetic diversity, few studies have examined the influence of cultural factors on the genetic diversity of globally minor crops [7,19]. Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.…”

A agroecologia: estratégias de pesquisa e valores

“…(2) evidenciar a capacidade protagonista dos agricultores e a efetividade do MGP -Modelo: genótipo x ambiente x social (Leclerc;d'Eeckenbrugge, 2012); (3) promover o uso e a conservação in situ on farm. O melhoramento participativo surgiu como uma alternativa aos programas conduzidos pelas instituições do setor formal de países em desenvolvimento.…”