The international debate on biodiversity has resulted in a renewed interest in the role of farmers and local communities in the management of natural resources and crop genetic diversity. The local varieties of crops which have been developed by farmers have made a great contribution to plant breeding genetic resources in the North. In recent years it has become apparent that local crop diversity in the South is threatened by promotion of modern varieties promising higher yields. This study reflects new approaches and concepts in the field of conservation and the development of local crops. Case studies from Africa, Latin America and Asia address these issues from different angles, examining the significance of local knowledge, and documenting new approaches and methodologies. The text looks at the policy issues raised by the expansion of agribusiness, and the need to consider the interests of small-scale farmers. The authors come from a variety of backgrounds, from plant breeders to anthropologists, international researchers to NGO development workers and lobbyists, and present a number of different views and perspectives on the subject. This text should be of interest to researchers from biological and social backgrounds, as well as people with a more practical interest. The book provides an introduction to this field, and should be of use to university teachers and students in the agricultural, biological and social sciences. It places farmers at the centre of crop development and genetic diversity, and through this focus, challenges the dominant models in formal crop research.

This book presents around 80 briefly described cases which illuminate the accumulated experience in utilizing and managing crop genetic diversity in farmers' fields both in the South and the North. These experiences illustrate the conflict which has been thought to exist between crop conservation and development, and contribute to the understanding of the opportunities that are offered by new approaches and activities in this field. There are frequent similarities between problems in the South and the North, and the book presents the experiences and perspectives of farmers, genebanks, plant breeders, seed programs and NGOs involved in crop development and conservation. The authors analyze the experiences in the context of new approaches in local and global Plant Genetic Resource (PGR) management being tried by both the formal and informal sector.The last part of the book suggests guidelines for future development in PGR management. It discusses the implications of integrated and adaptive management approaches in PGR management, and the need to rethink the institutional organization required to bring about changes which can help farmers and professionals in PGR management to resist the pressures of a range of global forces.This book presents a very diverse and rich array of experiences and in effect proposes a synthesis of what have been taken to be conflicting views of conservation and development.