on the Maintenance of Crop and Forest Genetic Diversity
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the Maintenance of Crop and Forest Genetic Diversity
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Possible evaluation tree showing influence of human selection on taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Yunnan, China.
Neglected African leafy vegetables sold at a local market.
IPGRI has had a fruitful collaboration with the People and Plants Handbook, an applied ethnobotany initiative focusing on the interface between people and the world of plants. IPGRI has co-produced Issue 2: Protecting Rights: Legal and Ethical Implications of Ethnobiology, and co-edited Issue 7: Growing Diversity, Conserving Plant Genetic Resources.
Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of Asian taro: focus on China.
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Ethnobotanical methods are used to investigate how local
peoples characterise and value genetic diversity and how their practices,
cultures and institutions maintain genetic resources and shape crop
evolution. The ethnobotanical research is complemented with
biological analyses to identify where and how variation and genetic
diversity in crops is found and valued. The results of this work provide
information which national programmes can use (i.) to better focus
conservation and use activities, (ii.) to support in situ
conservation and conservation through use (iii.) to assess genetic erosion
in ecosystems. Ethnobotanical indicators of genetic diversity can be used in
locating, collecting, conserving, characterising and evaluating plant
genetic resources. The information generated is also useful for germplasm
enhancement and crop improvement. This activity focuses on traditional
cultivars to highlight the contribution of locally managed genetic diversity
to food security and sustainable ecosystem management. Some of the species
where ethnobotanical research has been important for conservation and
community development are:
Introduction Ethnobotanical methodology aims to answer three questions:
Projects either focus on a culturally constructed
use-complex of similar plants within a region, or one specific species
across different countries or regions. The project documents
the types of diversity valued and used by local communities, including
indigenous systems of classification; tries to understand the ways in
which people have guided a crop's evolution; and identifies specific
actions and mechanisms that promote the conservation and use of genetic
diversity within agroecosystems. Global Distribution of Diversity in Taro Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a widely used crop
in the tropics and subtropics that has been been neglected by crop
breeders and conservationists, and therefore much of the diversity within the crop is
still being maintained by farmers and local communities. IPGRI's project
brings scientists and farmers together in the research and conservation of
taro, and was one of the first IPGRI projects to systematically combine
ethnobotanic and socioeconomic research methods with molecular
measurements of genetic diversity. Ethnobotanical surveys conducted in
Southern Yunnan, which is on the margins of the crop's center of diversity
as well as home to the highest concentration of ethnic minorities in
China, revealed much greater diversity in taro than was previously known.
For instance, a strong tradition of selection and use of taro
inflorescence as a vegetable was documented for the first time.
Selection pressures by farmers can focus on various characteristics
depending on their uses: corms, cormels, petioles (leaf stalks), leaves,
or flowers. The implications of these selection pressures on diversity
were then studied using molecular techniques by scientists at the
Biotechnology Institute and the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing. IPGRI convened a
Symposium on Ethnobotanical and Genetic Study of Taro in China: Approaches
for the Conservation and use of Taro Genetic Resources from the 10-12
November 1998, and papers were presented on work on taro in Vietnam, Nepal
as well as China. Recent symposiums have included taro research from
Indonesia, Ghana, Cameroon, Japan, Cuba and Bangladesh.
Although of New World origin, the greatest use of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma) is today in West Africa. Taro (Colocasia) and Cocoyam form an edible aroids complex, and the two are often substituted for each other. Their uses are also very similar: its corm, cormel, petiole and leaf can all be used. The methodology used to study cocoyam follows those already developed for ethnobotanical studies of taro. It is currently being studied in Cameroon and Ghana. Biodiversity of Leafy Green Vegetables in Africa This project focuses on neglected vegetable species
where women are the principal experts and users of genetic diversity,
linking the conservation of PGR to raising incomes and nutrition of both
rural and urban poor. Traditional PGR expertise and local production and
use systems are the basis for conservation efforts in the five target
countries. Some target species common in many parts of Africa include
Spiderplant Cleome gynandra, Roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa, Black
nightshades Solanum spp., Cowpea leaves Vigna unguiculta, Bitter leaf
Vernonia amygdalina and Amaranthus spp. These species were the subject
of ethnobotanical studies and evaluations of their potential uses to
improve the competitiveness of African traditional vegetables in
comparison to those which have been introduced. These introduced
vegetables are often accorded a higher status and
receive more attention from research and development organizations. Work
has been completed in Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal and
Zimbabwe. This project illustrates the Human and Policy theme
objective of involving
stakeholders from all levels of society in research, and promoting
broad-based partnerships. For example,
the Kenyan project involves cooperation between: national genebanks; the
nutrition, agronomy, and anthropology departments of the University of
Nairobi; horticulturists from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute; local organizations involved in development and
marketing; and women
farmers.
Fonio (Digitaria exilis) Also known as findo, findi, acha, or 'hungry rice', fonio was among the first crops domesticated in Africa and is still essential to the food security of millions of African farmers. A network of fonio researchers in West Africa studies community uses of the crop, associated indigenous knowledge and distinct ecotypes across microenvironments. A group of fonio researchers recently gathered to review the current state of research on this crop and to apply ethnobotanical methods to document the extent and uses of fonio diversity in the region. The meeting was held in Guinea Conakry, the center of diversity for fonio and where it is a staple food. A monograph on the crop is forthcoming. Indigenous Vegetables of Yunnan The project combines genetic characterization and ethnobotanical field methods with nutritional analysis of important wild vegetables in Southwest China. For commercially important species like eggplant and cucumber, genetic diversity evaluation is being done to increase the use of diversity in these crops. The role which women play in the conservation and use of indigenous vegetables is a major focus of this project. In the nine counties in the central and north parts of Yunnan, 26 traditional cultivated vegetables and 69 wild vegetables have been investigated. Information on morphological characters, microenvironment, climate, socioeconomic conditions, processing and cooking methods, method of collection, domestication status, potential developmental importance, and the role of women in the conservation and use of these traditional vegetables has been gathered. About 300 documentary photos have been taken. A literature search provided information on the vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and carotene levels in 37 indigenous Yunnan vegetables, and another 10 have been analyzed during the project and are being processed. Eighty accessions of eggplant germplasm collected from Yunnan have been planted and 20 botanical characters have been investigated. The germplasm of 30 eggplant accessions have been analyzed using RAPD and genomic DNAs. Curcurbitaceae: E. African Bottle Gourds and W. African Egusi Melons These projects are two separate explorations of gourd-like species in Africa, with primary uses as containers and seeds, respectively. A project with the University of Tokyo is using ethnobotanical methods to study the diversity present within bottle gourds in East Africa. The Bottle Gourd in Kitui District, Kenya is known locally as 'Kitete' and refers to the species Lagenaria siceraria, Cucurbitaceae. Kitui District of Kenya is a region that combines ideal growing conditions for Kitete with rich cultural knowledge of the varied uses and types. For the Kamba people of Kitui District, Kitete is a key item of their material culture and is endowed with much symbolic and cultural value. The use of clay-sealed Kitete containers to store seeds for planting has proved to be an effective local practice for cheap and safe chemical-free storage of seeds. The reduced availability of Kitete is having a negative impact on seed storage and crop diversity in Kitui villages. Kitete is grown to produce a great variety of containers and is also consumed as food. Recent changes in culture and marketing of plastic containers has caused an erosion of knowledge threatening the loss of Kitete cultivar diversity. IK on Kitete diversity and uses needs to be maintained within local communities especially among the young generation, for enhanced conservation of the traditional values and multiple uses of Kitete. The species needs to be maintained in communities where diversity in morphotypes and uses are still great. Kitete has numerous uses as a container and therefore is of great social, economic and cultural significance. The second project focuses on the complex of plants known as Egusi, which includes West African species of the Curcurbitaceae family whose seeds are used for extraction of oil. They are found in a range of genera, and the most important are: Citrullus (watermelon), Curcurbita (pumpkins originating in C. and S. America), Cucumeropsis (egusi melon), Telfairia (fluted pumpkin), Lagenaria (bottle or calabash gourds), Luffa (sponge gourds from Asia) and occasionally Trichosanthes, the snake gourd from Asia. Egusi seeds are a luxury and can be used to replace groundnuts in the preparation of the popular Cameroonian bitterleaf dish ndole. A favourite dish in southeast Nigeria is 'egusi soup' made with the leaves of fluted gourd, and the 'palava' dishes from Ghana also contain Egusi seeds. The seeds are also used in a variety of sauces.
You can download the poster as
Community Museum Helps Safeguard the African Calabash
With help from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a small but influential Kenyan women's group is helping researchers preserve bottle gourds, one of Africa's earliest domesticated plants and one of its most endangered. Located 160 kilometers west of Nairobi in the village of Kitui, the group has established a Gourd Museum that houses a growing community genebank, as well as an informal library of songs, stories, and indigenous knowledge. Read more and see the video at http://www.futureharvest.org Project Coordinator: Pablo Eyzaguirre
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