Side Event
Farmer Access to Crop Diversity and Sustainable Utilization: Lessons from the Field
Organizer
FAO
Date and Time
22 February 2008 13:15 - 14:45
OBJECTIVE: Share findings of innovative field activities of FAO related to small farmer access and sustainable utilization of crop diversity. The presentation will take a systems approach and examine the importance of markets for crop diversity, gender and diversity in the informal seed sector and community seed production linked to the formal seed sector MAIN MESSAGE: Over the past five years, FAO and local level partners have conducted a set of case studies on the relationship between access, exchange and sustainable utilization of crop biodiversity across a wide range of agricultural settings. One key insight gained from these studies is that effectively increasing access to crop diversity for small farmers in their dynamic environments requires a holistic approach. The purpose of this side event will be to present the highlights of the case study results and discuss the implications for achieving better policies to promote sustainable utilization. The presentation will provide an overview of the seed systems and the lessons learned from field work in 3 related areas: markets, informal seed systems, formal seed systems