Today’s agriculture is like a huge inverted pyramid. Globally, it rests on a precariously narrow base. Less than 3% of the 250 000 plant varieties available to agriculture are in use today. The top-down system of agricultural research, where farmers are seen merely as recipients of research rather than as participants in it, has contributed to this dependence on a relatively few plant varieties. This trend and the increasing industrialization of agriculture are key factors in what can only be called “genetic erosion.” A new approach to agricultural research and development is needed to conserve agricultural diversity, improve crops, and produce food of quality for all.

THE ISSUE What is “participatory plant breeding” and how can it contribute both to increasing the productivity of resource-poor farmers in the developing world and to enhancing agricultural diversity? Part 1 of Seeds that Give: Participatory Plant Breeding  Resources on the issue

THE RESEARCH Project stories and research results illustrate how farmers and plant breeders are working together in remote regions from the Andes to the Himalayas and beyond. Case studies: North Africa and the Middle East - Latin America - Cuba - Nepal - China - Global Research resources

THE LESSONS A decade of research leads to a series of specific recommendations for governments and organizations involved in agricultural research and development. Resources on lessons and recommendations