Bioversity Policy and Research Briefs
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Item No free lunches: PES and the funding of agricultural biodiversity conservation insights from a competitive tender for quinoa-related conservation services in Bolivia and Peru(Brief, 2020-12) Drucker, Adam; Padulosi, Stefano; Jager, MatthiasMechanisms are explored through which agrobiodiversity service beneficiaries and purchasers could become investors in its conservation and sustainable use. Such mechanisms include eco-labelling, biodiversity offsets and other regulatory obligations, public procurement programmes, corporate social responsibility initiatives and the development of cultural tourism infrastructure, as well as direct support from government and institutions. An examination is undertaken of the required enabling environment to support these investments, which potentially include changes in government policy to facilitate/encourage private sector involvement, the development of PACS-related institutions for monitoring, verification and enforcement, as well as donor and consumer awareness-raising and dialogue.Item Community-led participatory approaches to improving dietary diversity in Vihiga County, Kenya(Brief, 2020-11) Nowicki, Marisa; Aluso, Lilian; Termote, CélineAn information sheet with brief overview of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and the work that has been carried out in Vihiga County since 2015. The information sheet briefly presents the results of the quasi-experimental evaluation exercise of the integrated community based approach for farm market and diet diversity that was developed and first tested in Vihiga County and published in Boedecker et al. 2019 (Participatory farm diversification and nutrition education increase dietary diversity in Western Kenya. Maternal and Child Nutrition, 15(3): e12803) The information sheet further explains the next steps that were taken such as guiding the same communities to set up their own farmer resource centres and community seed bank for traditional leafy vegetables. The information sheet was used to engage policy makers in the next step of the project that is meant to scale up and out different aspects of the project together with Vihiga County policy makers and other stakeholders.Item Promoting chaya and tepary bean to improve diet quality, climate resilience, and incomes in Guatemala(Brief, 2020-09) Amaya, Nadezda; Meldrum, Gennifer; Padulosi, StefanoItem Promoting Bambara groundnut, fonio, and native vegetables for resilience and nutrition in Mali(Brief, 2020-09) Meldrum, Gennifer; Sidibé, Amadou; Padulosì, StefanoItem Promoting kodo and kutki millets for improved incomes, climate resilience and nutrition in Madhya Pradesh, India(Brief, 2020-09) Meldrum, Gennifer; Roy, Somnath; Lauridsen, Nina Olsen; King, Oliver E.D.I.Item Enhancing social inclusion through local dialogues on natural resource management (NRM)(Brief, 2020) Elias, Marlène; Priyadarshini, Pratiti; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Ghate, Rucha; Rao, JagdeeshThe purpose of this tool is to stimulate thinking and offer guidance on a tested approach for enhancing social inclusion in and through natural resource management (NRM). It can be used to accompany processes of community engagement and community-based or -led deliberations on NRM or other topics of local importance. The approach described draws attention to the importance of representation, process as well as content in fostering inclusion in NRM or other community affairs. It represents a facilitated process of community engagement to enhance social inclusion and cohesion, and the prospects of collective action to work through situations of discrimination or conflict via inter-group contact under a set of predefined conditions. This process can allow groups to better know and understand each other, work through their differences, and create group unity. The approach is rooted in dialogue and represents a process of active engagement among participants, accompanied by both women and men facilitators, over time. It can be applied to fields other than NRM.Item The Gender Equality in Research Scale: A tool for monitoring and encouraging progress on gender integration in research for and in development(Brief, 2019) Paez Valencia, Ana Maria; Ihalainen, Markus; Elias, Marlène; Sijapati Basnett, BimbikaThis brief discusses a monitoring and learning tool – the Gender Equality in Research Scale (GEIRS) – designed to assess the level of gender integration across a CRP’s research portfolio and at different stages of the research and development cycle.Item Diversifying agriculture in post-conflict areas: 7 things we can change(Brief, 2020) Ekesa, Beatrice; Baganizi, Mary; Dolan, IanAgricultural biodiversity is central to current and future food and nutrition and security needs in Uganda. Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, such as Teso and Acholi sub regions, which faced up to two decades of conflict, this diversity is increasingly under threat from practices such as charcoal making and land clearing for agriculture. As a result, there is reduced investment in longer term sustainable farming practices that conserve and promote diversity. This contributes to high food insecurity and lack of access to diverse diets especially among vulnerable groups such as Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) (15-49 years) and children under five years. Adoption of sustainable agricultural practices can promote agrobiodiversity and enhance nutritional outcomes and quality of life of vulnerable groups. This brief gives a summary of findings and insights from research conducted in 2018 by Bioversity International and Trocaire, Uganda, working closely with a number of partners including National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), Makerere University and Ministry of Health-Uganda (Division of Nutrition). It points out interventions and actions that can be implemented in culturally.Item Scaling community seedbanks and farmer seed enterprises in East and Southern Africa: Workshop Highlights, 2-4 October 2019, Entebbe, Uganda(Report, 2020) Adokorach, Joyce; Vernooy, Ronnie; Kakeeto, RonaldThe Scaling Community Seed Banks and Farmer Seed Enterprises in East and Southern Africa workshop was held in Entebbe, Uganda on 2-4 October 2019, to share experiences about community seed bank management and to develop national pilot scaling proposals. The workshop was organized under the umbrella of the Resilient Seed Systems for Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Livelihoods in East Africa project. Participants from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe discussed strengthening their community seed banks’ capacity development on topics such as documentation and record keeping, data management and sharing, seed production, entrepreneurship, development of a portal and/or App for online distribution of seed, advocacy and policy development, gender action learning, and policy support for community seed banks and farmer seed enterprises. Workshop presentations showcased the status of the community seed banks in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the status of farmer seed enterprises in Uganda and Zimbabwe. Thematic presentations addressed policy issues, gender, the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and the development of a seed knowledge/service hub. Presentations on pratical field experiences from Uganda were made (including demonstrations of seed collections) by the Soroti Community Seed Bank, and the Joy and Family demonstration farm in Ngoma, Kiziba, Kagano-Sheema. The workshop resulted in the production of three pilot scaling proposals for community seed bank/farmer seed enterprises in Kenya (led by the Seed Savers Network), Uganda (led by NARO) and Zambia (led by the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute, ZARI), and supported by the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) and the Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT) Uganda.Item Una clasificación de proyectos de restauración del paisaje forestal en América Latina y el Caribe(Brief, 2019) Coppus, Ruben; Romijn, E.; Méndez Toribio, M.; Murcia, C.; Thomas, E.; Guariguata, Manuel R.; Herold, M.; Verchot, Louis V.Item «Cuando yo ya no pueda hacerlo, nadie lo haráa»: La conservación de la agrobiodiversidad en tiempos de migración(Brief, 2018) Baldinelli, M.G.This research explores the connections between agrobiodiversity conservation and indigenous farmers’ rural-urban migration in the Altiplano Norte of Bolivia. Two trends are identified and analysed: agronomic simplification, as part of a process of deagrarianisation; and agrobiodiversity reinvention, taking shape in a period in which the indigenous roots of Bolivia, native crops and traditional dishes experience a revival in discourse and food practices. Temporary and return migrants are important characters in this process, as innovators and crucial allies for urban-based stakeholders promoting agrobiodiversity conservation.Item El nuevo diplomado “El Enfoque Territorios Sostenibles Adaptados al Clima”: una alianza para el escalamiento de experiencias y prácticas de adaptación en el Corredor Seco de Guatemala(Brief, 2019-12-20) Bouroncle, Claudia; Vernooy, Ronnie; Sandoval, Víctor; García, José RamiroEsta info note presenta una síntesis del nuevo diplomado “El Enfoque Territorios Sostenibles Adaptados al Clima (TeSAC) en el Corredor Seco del Oriente de Guatemala”, desarrollado entre septiembre y diciembre de 2019; así como recomendaciones para su futuro desarrollo. El diplomado se llevó a cabo en 2019 en el Centro Universitario de Oriente (CUNORI), una unidad académica de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala en la ciudad de Chiquimula. En su primera edición, 32 profesionales de 14 organizaciones del Corredor Seco del país adquirieron e intercambiaron conocimientos para la adaptación al cambio climático de la agricultura y manejo de recursos naturales.Item Continuity and change: Negotiating gender norms in agricultural research for development in Rwanda(Brief, 2018-11) Rietveld, Anne M.; Farnworth, Cathy RozelThis resource is for research and development practitioners working in agriculture and rural development in Rwanda. The objective is to provide information about the ways in which gender norms in Eastern Rwanda are changing, and which ones remain persistent. It finds that despite broader institutional changes, men’s and women’s roles and relations in relation to farming, and the gender norms governing them, are changing in piecemeal ways.Item Le renforcement des capacités nationales pour la mise en œuvre du Traité international sur les ressources phytogénétiques pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture : Points saillants du projetectos del Tratado(Brief, 2019) Vernooy, RonnieCette note présente les points saillants du projet « Le renforcement des capacités nationales pour la mise en œuvre du Traité international sur les ressources phytogénétiques pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture », qui a été coordonné par Bioversity dans le cadre du Programme commun de renforcement des capacités des pays en développement de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture/Secrétariat du Traité/Bioversity International pour la mise en œuvre du Traité et son Système multilatéral (SML). Le projet, qui s'est déroulé de 2012 à 2016, visait à : promouvoir la participation des pays au système multilatéral d'accès et de partage des avantages du Traité ; identifier les moyens d'améliorer l'accès des pays aux ressources phytogénétiques pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture ; et explorer les possibilités permettant de tirer parti d'autres aspects du Traité.Item Exploiting biodiversity of traditional crops for mainstreaming nutrition sensitive agriculture in Nepal(Brief, 2019) Gauchan, D.Traditional crops cultivated and consumed over generationsare important components of agrobiodiversity and support dietary diversity, productivity and livelihoods of marginalized populations in Nepal. This paper outlines the value of traditional nutrient dense crops to promote nutrition sensitive agriculture by exploiting rich biodiversity of these crops through nutrition sensitive value chain development. Use of traditional crop biodiversity for nutrition sensitive value chain development can play positive role by taking into consideration not only how diverse nutrient-dense foods are produced but also how theyare processed, distributed, marketed and consumed to supply nutrient value for household nutrition security. However, presently value chains of biodiversity of traditional crops are weak, fragmented and not properly connected among sub-components of production, processing, marketing and consumption system. Considering this, focus of biodiversity-based value chain upgrading is suggested to improve their performance, efficiency and interlinkages in different sub-components. Creating enabling policy for investment in research, education, extension and value chain development is essential to exploit rich biodiversity of traditional nutrient dense crops. Promotion of organic and ecofriendly production, marketing and certification system linking with geographic indication and fair trading is suggested for mainstreaming traditional nutrient dense crops in national policies, program and institutions.Item A fair share of village water [Blog post](Blog Post, 2019) Elias, MarlèneScarce water resources in developing countries are under pressure from climate change, with droughts and extreme weather events particularly impacting rural communities that depend on farming for their survival. Living on this knife edge means that water resources become ever more precious, with a clear potential for conflicts between farmers and other water users.Item Fortalecimiento de las capacidades nacionales para implementar el Tratado Internacional sobre los Recursos Fitogenéticos para la Alimentación y la Agricultura. Aspectos destacado del Proyecto(Brief, 2019) Vernooy, RonnieEste resumen presenta los aspectos más destacados del proyecto "Fortalecimiento de las capacidades nacionales para implementar el Tratado Internacional sobre los Recursos Fitogenéticos para la Alimentación y la Agricultura", el cual fue coordinado por Bioversity en el marco de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación / Secretaría del Tratado / Programa conjunto Bioversity International de capacitación para los países en desarrollo sobre la aplicación del Tratado y su sistema multilateral (MLS). El proyecto, que se desarrolló entre 2012 y 2016, tenía como objetivo: promover la participación de los países en el sistema multilateral de acceso y participación en los beneficios del Tratado, identificar medios para mejorar el acceso de los países a los recursos fitogenéticos para la alimentación y la agricultura y buscar opciones para que dichos países se beneficien de otros aspectos del Tratado.Item Communities improve water management in Burkina Faso(Brief, 2019-03) Benson, Vivienne; Elias, Marlène; Traoré, AurokiatouGlobally, water scarcity and poor water quality have a major impact on food security and livelihoods. While there has been significant progress in the past decade, and over 90 per cent of the world’s population now has access to clean drinking water, there is still a long way to go to reach the most marginalised and ensure that water is protected from degradation. The set-up of ‘Innovation Platforms’ in Burkina Faso around two small water reservoirs meant that diverse members of rural communities, agricultural agents, and NGOs could reconcile differences and manage their most precious resource in harmony.Item Rice diversity and the joy of eid(Brief, 2019) Akhter, F.; Khatun, A.; Khatun, F.; Islam, R.; Mostafa, G.; Vernooy, RonnieThis brief presents the results of research on the conservation and sustainable use of rice diversity in Bangladesh and how the rice varieties used and planted are intrinsically linked to religious festivals, food culture, land morphology and the climate that shape rice farming/cropping in this region. It highlights the important roles played by Community Seed Wealth Centers (community seed banks) and the Nayakrishi farmers, who manage them, in ensuring the conservation of rice varieties that are in danger of disappearing, and in supplying farmers with diverse, good quality seed. It also demonstrates the key roles played by women farmers as seed custodians and the strategic research and capacity building activities carried out by the Community Seed Wealth Centers.Item Strengthening national capacities to implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Project highlights(Brief, 2019) Vernooy, RonnieThis brief presents highlights of the project "Strengthening national capacities to implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture", which was coordinated by Bioversity International, under the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/Treaty Secretariat/Bioversity International Joint Capacity Building Programme for Developing Countries on the Implementation of the Treaty and its Multilateral System (MLS). The project, which ran from 2012 -2016, aimed to: promote the participation of countries in the multilateral system of access and benefit-sharing of the Treaty; identify means to improve countries’ access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; and pursue options to benefit from other aspects of the Treaty.