Bioversity Discussion/Working Papers

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Determining key research areas for healthier diets and sustainable food systems in Viet Nam
(Working Paper, 2019) Raneri, Jessica Evelyn; Kennedy, G.; Nguyen, T.; Wertheim-Heck, Sigrid C.O.; Do, H.; Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Vietnamese food systems are undergoing rapid transformation, with important implications for human and environmental health and economic development. Poverty has decreased, and diet quality and undernutrition have improved significantly since the end of the Doi Moi reform period (1986-1993) as a result of Viet Nam opening its economy and increasing its regional and global trade. Yet poor diet quality is still contributing the triple burden of malnutrition, with 25 percent stunting among children under age 5, 26 percent and 29 percent of women and children, respectively, anemic, and 21 percent of adults overweight. Agricultural production systems have shifted from predominantly diverse smallholder systems to larger more commercialized and specialized systems, especially for crops, while the ‘meatification’ of the Vietnamese diet is generating serious trade-offs between improved nutrition and sustainability of the Vietnamese food systems. The food processing industry has developed rapidly, together with food imports, resulting in new and processed food products penetrating the food retail outlets, trending towards an increase in the Westernized consumption patterns that are shifting nutrition-related problems towards overweight and obesity and, with it, an increase of non-communicable disease-related health risks. While regulatory policies exist across the food system, these are not systematically implemented, making food safety a major concern for consumers and policy makers alike. Where data exists, it is not easy to aggregate with data from across food system dimensions, making it difficult for Viet Nam to make an informed analysis of current and potential food system trade-offs. In our research, we reviewed existing literature and data, and applied a food systems framework to develop an initial food systems profile for Viet Nam and to identify a comprehensive set a of research questions to fill current data gaps identified through the review. Insights on these would provide the comprehensive evidence needed to inform policy makers on how to develop new food systems policies for Viet Nam, and further refine and improve existing policies to achieve better quality diets and more sustainable food systems in Viet Nam. Based on these, we then engaged with stakeholders to develop research priorities in the Viet Nam context and identified 25 priority research questions. This paper aims to stimulate such reflections by clearly outlining key areas for research, government policy, and development programs on priority investment to build the evidence base around inclusive food systems interventions that aim to result in healthier diets and more sustainable food systems for Viet Nam.
OPINION: Overlooked, underused crops: an answer to our food system problems?
(News Item, 2019) Raneri, Jessica Evelyn
Choosing between supermarkets and wet markets
(Brief, 2019) Raneri, Jessica Evelyn; Wertheim-Heck, Sigrid C.O.
Food safety and better nutrition are real and serious challenges facing billions of people in low- and middle-income countries worldwide in urban and rural settings. Addressing both these issues are critical to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to ending hunger. But they compete for attention, priority and resources from governments and consumers and people involved throughout the food system. Moreover, sometimes, actions taken to improve one objective occur at the expense or detriment of the other.
Post-harvest use of banana in Uganda and Tanzania: Product characteristics and cultivar preferences of male and female farmers
(Working Paper, 2019-12) Marimo, Pricilla; Karamura, D.; Tumuhimbise, Robooni; Shimwela, M.M.; Bergh, Inge van den; Batte, M.; Massawe, C.; Okurut, A.W.; Mbongo, D.B.; Crichton, R.
Understanding user preferred traits is important for the successful development and adoption of improved banana cultivars. This article provides an overview of different banana products, cultivars used to make those products and the preferred characteristics as reported by men and women farmers in different regions of Uganda and Tanzania. Qualitative data from 23 focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in six districts (Mbarara and Luwero in Uganda; and Bukoba, Meru, Moshi and Rungwe in Tanzania) were coded and analysed. Results show that farmers process banana to make a range of products that include staple foods such as steamed matooke, mbalaga and machalari; alcoholic beverages and snacks. Different cultivars are preferred for an assortment of products. There are minimal differences in the cultivar preferences for specific products and product utilization patterns by men and women farmers. Differences only occurred when men and women described reasons why products are important or preferred, and in the roles of men, women and children in the preparation and processing of products from different banana types. Both men and women mentioned socio-economic, cultural, consumption and health-related attributes of the different products. However, women (73% of women only FGDs) specifically highlighted health benefits attached to women, for example after giving birth, during pregnancy, during lactation and for children; compared to 44% for men. Men pointed out more the socio-cultural importance of the products and provided detailed descriptions on market-related traits and the corresponding value chain actors (88.9% of men only FGDs). A myriad of factors that include variety of products, cultivar attributes before processing, characteristics of the processed product and location differences are identified, highlighting the need for further assessments and physicochemical characterisation of the traits to gauge the feasibility of considering this valuable information in the product development process. Some of the products and attributes of cultivars cited by farmers are generalized descriptions lacking sufficient detail (e.g. ‘tastes nice’, ‘good flavour’, ‘long shelf life’). Farmers have tacit knowledge of these attributes. Hence, researchers need to probe further and use a range of methods to extract this knowledge. There is a need for social scientists to collect data on trait prioritisation and for food scientists to do biochemical analyses to ensure information collected is well defined, comprehensive, quantifiable and measurable to effectively guide breeding and other agricultural research and development.
Molecular genetic techniques for plant genetic resources: Report of an IPGRI Workshop, 9-11 October 1995, Rome, Italy
(Working Paper, 1997) Ayad, W.G.; Hodgkin, T.; Jaradat, A.; Rao, V.R.
The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the application of molecular genetic methods to problems relevant to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources. A variety of different methods for detecting and analyzing variation at the molecular level are now available and offer to those involved in plant genetic resources management ways of improving the effectiveness of their work. At the same time, it has become clear that there are a number of unresolved questions concerning the appropriate use of the various techniques available. These include methodological questions, problems of data analysis and management, the need to use methods capable of dealing with large numbers of accessions, and resource limitations, especially in developing countries. IPGRI recognizes the considerable potential of molecular methods for improving the conservation and use of plant gentic resources and is currently concerned with strengthening work in this area. The potential benefits of using molecular techniques are clear and individual genetic resources conservation projects are likely to make increasing use of different methodologies now available. However, there remain a number of difficulties in the effective application of the different techniques and a number of questions concerning their effective use. In particular, there are difficultiues in using appropriate technologies in resource-limiting situations. This is the reason IPGRI decided to host the International workshop of experts working in different relevant areas of molecular genetics to discuss and identify the key issues.
Conifers Network: Report of the first meeting,22-24 March 2000, Brdo/Kranj, Slovenia
(Working Paper, 2001) Turok, J.; Mátyás, Cs.; Fady, B.; Borelli, S.; European Forest Genetic Resources Programme; International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
Highlights on progress made in gene conservation of Norway spruce (Picea abies) in Europe. Outputs of the EUFORGEN Picea abies Network.Assessing priorities for the EUFORGEN Conifers Network. Workplan. Four main areas of involvement (information, policy and legal issues, technical guidelines and public awareness) were discussed in three working groups. Each working group proposed a set of activities. They provide the basis for this workplan, agreed during the final session of the meeting.
Sharing the non-monetary benefits of agricultural biodiversity
(Working Paper, 2001) Raymond, R.; Fowler, Cary; International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
The Convention on Biological Diversity calls for benefits flowing from the use of biological diversity to be shared with the country of origin of the material. In the main, discussions around benefit sharing have focused on monetary benefits, with the sharing of such benefits often seen as a precondition to access. This approach, while welcome in its intent, has two inherent problems: it has led the significant non-monetary benefits that can be linked with the use of genetic resources to be downplayed or even disregarded; there is no agreed definition of 'country of origin.' Even if the meaning of country of origin could be universally accepted, a commercial plant variety is likely to have hundreds, if not thousands, of useful properties arising from parents originating in many countries. A system of access to plant genetic resources that requires individual benefit-sharing agreements with the countries of origin of all such properties would be exceedingly complicated. The cost of these numerous negotiations, let alone of determining the monetary value of the contribution of each country's genetic resource to the commercial variety, would be staggering. Such a system would surely be a disincentive to commercialization (assuming the costs would be borne by the commercial entity—by no means a foregone conclusion). Importantly, it would also almost certainly impede the international flow of germplasm and thus the development of new crop varieties, an outcome that is in no one's interest. Important non-monetary benefits can arise from international collaboration in the conservation and use of genetic resources. Non-monetary benefits include access to more germplasm and improved material than can be found in any one country as well as to training opportunities, new technologies and information arising from the use of exchanged material. International collaboration brings with it increased opportunities for developing joint strategies and activities for conserving and using genetic resources and for sharing responsibilities and costs. In general, the more parties that are involved in a collaborative relationship, the more widely the costs and benefits can be shared, thus reducing the burden and increasing the advantage to all partners. While the authors argue strongly in favour of a multilateral approach to access and benefit sharing, they observe that important non-monetary benefits can also arise from bilateral arrangements. They describe a series of recent plant explorations in Ecuador, supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as a good example of a bilateral arrangement that has yielded significant non-monetary benefits to both countries. Networks, such as the International Network on Genetics in Aquaculture and the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice, serve as multilateral exchange arrangements and the means for sharing resources, ideas, technologies and information amongst a wide range of participants. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) provides a framework for a global multilateral system. In return for providing access to their germplasm, the CGIAR's partners gain no-cost access to value-added products, secure conservation, restoration, information and a wide range of basic and improved germplasm. Together, the Future Harvest Centres supported by the CGIAR exchange approximately 150 000 accessions and 500 000 samples of improved material each year, along with the related technology and information.
IPGRI in sub-Saharan Africa: Regional report - SSA 1999-2000
(Working Paper, 2001) International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region comprises 48 sovereign states. Well over 600 million people live in Africa south of Sahara. The vast majority of these people depend directly on the land for their sustenance. Overall, only about 6% of Africa's land is cultivated. Even so, the agricultural sector is the largest source of employment and provides a high percentage of export and foreign currency earnings. In the past, agricultural development has aimed at replacing traditional practices with farming systems based on exotic cash and food crops with chemical inputs, large-scale irrigation and mechanization. More and more, however, it is being recognized that indigenous African farming systems, practices, crops and varieties are finely tuned to prevailing ecological conditions and must largely form the basis of sustainable agricultural development. SSA subsistence farmers are mainly women, who produce more than 75% of the household food through field cropping and home gardening. There is considerable inter- and intraspecific diversity of crops, herbaceous and forestry species. A number of species endemic to the subregion include millet (Pennisetum spp.), sorghum (Sorghum spp.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), bambara groundnut (V. subterranea), African rice (O. glaberrima), fonio (Digitaria exilis) and yam (Dioscorea spp.), among others. Such endemic species have specific genetic constitutions that confer resistance to diseases and pests, the ability to produce in marginal soils, and resistance to some environmental hazards such as drought. These species are also preferred by the population for their culinary and organoleptic qualities and they hold a key to food security and sustainable development in the subregion. The genetic base of these crops is, however, being seriously eroded, largely as a result of their replacement in the farming systems, climate change, socio-economic factors, natural disasters and armed conflict. Awareness of the importance of conserving and using plant genetic resources increased substantially among scientific and policy-level leaders in SSA during the 1990s. This increased awareness has led to renewed commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. Over 40 countries in SSA submitted reports on the status of conservation and use of their plant genetic resources in preparation for the technical conference. IPGRI collaborated closely with the national programmes to compile the component subregional synthesis reports, which gave the SSA group a clear understanding of the national, subregional and regional priorities in conservation and use. These reports were used to develop a plan of action for IPGRI in the conservation and use of genetic resources in Africa that reflects the elements of the Global Plan of Action (GPA). National programmes on plant genetic resources are considered to be the main elements in a global effort. In SSA, many national programmes in plant genetic resources are generally weak, so IPGRI devotes considerable resources to working with partners in the region to: -facilitate national coordination of plant genetic resources: -develop regional networks on plant genetic resources; -sponsor thematic research and methodology development; -assist in plant genetic resources training and education; -provide information and documentation. This report provides an overview of the progress made by IPGRI and partners in the SSA region for the period 1999–2000. The specific institutions and organizations with which IPGRI collaborates are mentioned in the sections on respective activities.
Bananas/les bananes
(Working Paper, 2000) International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain
There are more than a thousand varieties of banana, the tallest herb in the world. This document traces the history of the nutritious fruit which is one of the most important food crops in the world. The dessert banana industry is described. The crop management cycle is presented from planting to harvest and particular attention is paid to crop protection. This public awareness publication includes numerous illustrations. Provided as a set together with a multimedia CD-Rom
Organic banana 2000: towards an organic banana initiative in the Caribbean: Report of the international workshop on the production and marketing of organic bananas by smallholders. 31 October - 4 November 1999, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
(Working Paper, 2000) Holderness, M.; Sharrock, S.; Frison, Emile A.; Kairo, M.K.; International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain
Diversification has never been so important, as it is now for small-scale farmers competing in a free market economy. Countries of the Caribbean have recognised the niche in the market for organic bananas, the Dominican Republic currently being the largest exporter of organic bananas. This meeting, jointly run by INIBAP, CAB International and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), provided a forum for discussion and information exchange for a wide range of interest groups, from farmers to retailers, with the aim of developing an initiative to support organic banana production and export in the Caribbean. This 174-page report provides papers on the current status of banana production, particular the development of organic production, in the Caribbean, as well as in Central and South America and Cameroon, also the prospects of the North American and European market, aspects of quality assurance and certification, and production constraints. The results of working groups and the conclusions of the meeting are also included. In brief, this publication presents an important discussion of the latest issues surrounding organic production of bananas and lays down a comprehensive plan of action for the way forward.
Banana cultivar names and synonyms in Southeast Asia
(Working Paper, 2000) Valmayor, R.V.; Jamaluddin, S.H.; Silayoi, B.; Kusumo, S.; Danh, L.D.; Pascua, O.C.; Espino, R.R.C.; International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain
The Southeast Asia region harbours the greatest wealth of banana diversity, both in wild and cultivated forms. This includes some of the rarest varieties in the world. But how to classify them and even what to call them has always been a complicated issue. In many cases, the same varieties have been given different names in different areas and the likewise the same name has been given to different varieties. In September 1999 a landmark meeting of the curators of national banana germplasm collections took place in the Philippines. They resolved the names of nearly 300 banana varieties and agreed on a classification system, following that of Cheeseman and the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. This 24-page booklet provides the background on the nomenclature and classification of bananas in the region and the final listing of variety names and synonyms agreed at the meeting in Southeast Asia. An essential companion for collectors, curators, breeders and researchers around the world.
In situ conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in developing countries: Report of a DSE/ATSAF/IPGRI Workshop, Bonn-Rottgen (Germany) 2-4 May 1995
(Working Paper, 1996) Engels, J.M.M.; International Plant Genetic Resources Institute; Deutsche Stiftung für internationale Entwicklung
This publication reports the workshop on in situ conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The workshop was the continuation of an initiative which began in May 1990 when the Council for Tropical and Sub-Tropical Agricultural Research (ATSAF) and the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR), now International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), organized the first workshop in which German and IBPGR scientists met to ”strengthen the relationship between IBPGR and German scientists by establishing research contacs and collaboration”. This workshop resulted in a number of complementary funded projects including Refinement of Cryopreservation Techniques for Potato, Effective Pollination Control Methods in the Regeneration of Germplasm, and Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Genetic Diversity in Wild Forage Species under Stress Conditions. The convention on Biological Diversity emphasizes the importance of in situ conservation of plant genetic resources referring to the evolutionary process which sustains and develops genetic resources. Explicitly included is the in situ conservation of cultivated species in agricultural areas where farming systems and landraces were developed. The objective of the workshop was to contribute to conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, including forestry, through: increased understanding of in situ (including on-farm) conservation, integration of conservation strategies (in situ and ex situ), increased cooperation between IPGRI and parties in Germany and initiation of joint (IPGRI/German) Projects.
Mediterranean Oaks network: Report of the 1st meeting, 12-14 October 2000, Antalya, Turkey
(Working Paper, 2001) Borelli, S.; Varela, M.C.; European Forest Genetic Resources Programme; International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
A report of an International Beta Genetic Resources Workshop held at the Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN): 7 - 10 February 1989, Wageningen, the Netherlands
(Working Paper, 1989) International Board for Plant Genetic Resources
International Beta Genetic Resources Network: A report of the 3rd International Beta Genetic Resources workshop held at the North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA, 4-6 August 1993
(Working Paper, 1994) International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
Report of the Steering Committee: Eight meeting, 14-17 October 2001, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
(Working Paper, 2001) Maggioni, L.; Turok, J.; Smith, M.; Weibull, J.; Mulvany, P.; Batlle, I.; Spellman, O.; European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources
Institutes conserving crop germplasm: The IBPGR (International Board for Plant Genetic Resources) global network of genebanks
(Working Paper, 1984) Hanson, J.; Williams, J.T.; Freund, R.; International Board for Plant Genetic Resources
Information is presented (1) on base collections of seed samples (i.e. seeds stored for long periods with low moisture contents and at low temperatures) and active collections (from which seeds are obtained for distribution, evaluation and multiplication); (2) the operation of the IBPGR [International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome, Italy] global network of base collections; and (3) standards for seed storage, including information on quality, sample size, drying and moisture content and its determination, containers, storage temperature and monitoring viability and regeneration. A list is given by crop of (1) organizations which maintain IBPGR designated security base collections of germplasm of both a global and regional nature and (2) other significant collections stored for the long and medium term. Details of collections in long or medium storage are given by country in a second list, with information on address of organization, major crops maintained and seed storage conditions. A third list gives the names of organizations at which genebanks are under construction or are being upgraded. (Abstract © CAB ABSTRACTS, CAB International)
Report of a Network Coordinating Group on Forages: First meeting, 17 November 1999, Elvas, Portugal
(Working Paper, 1999) Maggioni, L.; European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources
Report of a Network Coordinating Group on Fruit: First meeting, 7 November 1999, Gembloux, Belgium
(Working Paper, 1999) Maggioni, L.; European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources
Report of a Network Coordinating Group on Industrial Crops and Potato: First meeting, 11 September 1999, Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom
(Working Paper, 1999) Maggioni, L.; European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources

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