Farmers, Scientists and Plant Breeding: Integrating Knowledge and Practice
by D A Cleveland, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA; D Soleri, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Hardback
ISBN: 9780851995854
368 pages
Readership
Researchers in the field of plant breeding, biodiversity, social sciences, economics, anthropology and development studies
Key Features
• Reviews “participatory” or “collaborative” plant breeding and presents case studies
• The book addresses three key issues:
- What is the nature of plant breeding knowledge, in theory and practice?
- In what ways are farmers' and plant breeders' knowledge similar or different?
- What are the implications for successful plant breeding initiatives?
Main Description
The purpose of this book is to examine the nature of and relationship between the knowledge of farmers and of scientists, and how these can be best integrated in plant breeding. In the past, farmers' knowledge of local biodiversity has often been underutilized, but currently there is an increased recognition of the importance of farmer participation or collaboration.
Reviews
• "I strongly recommend this stimulating and informative book to students, plant breeders, social scientists and administrators of research and development in the international agricultural sector."
Experimental Agriculture, 2003
• "The authors describe examples of farmer involvement in institutional plant breeding programmes, and compare the knowledge of selection and genetic theory that farms and scientists bring to these collaborative efforts...Contrast in opinions among authors makes this book interesting to a wide spectrum of readers who are concerned with the genetics, politics, and social aspects of the convergence of modern and traditional science in agriculture."
Paul Miller, Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 21, 2003
• "This book will be of interest primarily to plant breeders with an interest in exploring PPB as a dimension of their crop improvement programs. Likewise, policymakers in developing countries and developed assistance agencies should benefit..."
BioScience, 53(11), November 2003
Main Contents
• Introduction: Farmers, scientists and plant breeding: knowledge, practice, and the possibilities for collaboration, D A Cleveland and D Soleri, University of California, USA
Part I. Farmer plant breeders and collaboration
• Understanding farmers' knowledge as the basis for collaboration with plant breeders: Methodological development and examples from ongoing research in Mexico, Syria, Cuba, and Nepal, D Soleri, D A Cleveland, University of California, USA, S E Smith, S Ceccarelli, ICARDA, Syria, S Grando, R B Rana, D Rijal and H Rios L
• Economics perspectives on collaborative plant breeding for conservation of genetic diversity on farm, M Smale, IPGRI, Italy
• Social and agroecological variability of seed production and the potential collaborative breeding of potatoes in the Andean Countries, K Zimmerer, University of Wisconsin, USA
• Farmers' views and management of sorghum diversity in Western Harerghe, Ethiopia: Implications for collaboration with formal breeding, S J McGuire, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
• How farmer-scientist cooperation is devalued and revalued: A Philippine Example, D Frossard, Golden Colorado, USA
Part II. Scientific plant breeders and collaboration
• Selecting with farmers: The formative years of cereal breeding and public seed in Switzerland (1889-1936), J Schneider, Bern, Switzerland
• Theory, empiricism and intuition in professional plant breeding, D N Duvick, Iowa, USA
• Conceptual changes in Cuban plant breeding in response to a national socioeconomic crisis: the example of pumpkins, H Rios L, D Soleri and D A Cleveland, University of California, USA
• Participatory plant breeding in rice in Nepal, K D Joshi, B Sthapit, M Subedi and J R Witcombe, University of Wales, UK
• Collaborative maize variety development for stre,ss-prone environments in southern Africa, M Banziger, CIMMYT, Zimbabwe and J de Meyer
• Plant breeding with farmers requires testing the assumptions of conventional plant breeding: lessons from the ICARDA barley program, S Ceccarelli, ICARDA, Syria and S Grando
