Dwindling diversity

Nepal’s rich agrobiodiversity is rapidly decreasing, as local varieties of crops are replaced by imported hybrid or improved varieties. At the same time, in light of the increasingly apparent effects of climate change, the need for a broad genetic base in order to maintain the ability to adapt to ne...

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Autor principal: Mortensen, Stina
Formato: First cycle, G2E
Lenguaje:sueco
Inglés
Publicado: 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/14241/
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author Mortensen, Stina
author_browse Mortensen, Stina
author_facet Mortensen, Stina
author_sort Mortensen, Stina
collection Epsilon Archive for Student Projects
description Nepal’s rich agrobiodiversity is rapidly decreasing, as local varieties of crops are replaced by imported hybrid or improved varieties. At the same time, in light of the increasingly apparent effects of climate change, the need for a broad genetic base in order to maintain the ability to adapt to new conditions is evident. In this study, the attitudes towards and knowledge of different crop types, agrobiodiversity loss and conservation among different stakeholders are examined. The results show that farmers’ choices of crops are mainly motivated by yield and taste. Farmers are aware that local varieties are disappearing, but not about the possible longterm consequences of this loss. Conservation efforts need to take into account the economic reality of farmers and economic incentives to grow landraces should be strengthened. Continued support to community seed banks as a tool for conservation and awareness raising is indicated. As the role of landraces as a source of genetic diversity is not apparent to farmers in general, communication regarding conservation should focus on the perceived advantages of superior taste, increased food security, and potential economic benefits.
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spelling RepoSLU142412020-05-29T13:15:42Z https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/14241/ Dwindling diversity Mortensen, Stina Plant genetics and breeding Nepal’s rich agrobiodiversity is rapidly decreasing, as local varieties of crops are replaced by imported hybrid or improved varieties. At the same time, in light of the increasingly apparent effects of climate change, the need for a broad genetic base in order to maintain the ability to adapt to new conditions is evident. In this study, the attitudes towards and knowledge of different crop types, agrobiodiversity loss and conservation among different stakeholders are examined. The results show that farmers’ choices of crops are mainly motivated by yield and taste. Farmers are aware that local varieties are disappearing, but not about the possible longterm consequences of this loss. Conservation efforts need to take into account the economic reality of farmers and economic incentives to grow landraces should be strengthened. Continued support to community seed banks as a tool for conservation and awareness raising is indicated. As the role of landraces as a source of genetic diversity is not apparent to farmers in general, communication regarding conservation should focus on the perceived advantages of superior taste, increased food security, and potential economic benefits. Nepals rika agrobiodiversitet minskar snabbt, då lokala sorter ersätts av importerade hybrider eller förädlade sorter. Samtidigt gör de alltmer uppenbara effekterna av klimatförändringar att behovet av en bred genetisk bas som verktyg för anpassning till nya förhållanden är stort. I denna studie undersöks attityder till och kunskap om olika sorters grödor, agrobiodiversitetsförlust och bevarandeåtgärder bland olika intressenter. Resultatet visar att odlarnas val av grödor främst motiveras av avkastning och smak. Odlare är medvetna om att lokala sorter försvinner, men inte om de möjliga långsiktiga konsekvenserna av detta. Bevarandeåtgärder måste ta hänsyn till odlarnas ekonomiska situation, och ekonomiska incitament för att välja lantraser bör stärkas. Fortsatt stöd till community seed banks som ett verktyg för bevarande och medvetandegörande är lämpligt. Då lantrasers roll som källa till genetisk diversitet inte är uppenbar för odlare i allmänhet bör kommunikation rörande bevarande fokusera på konkreta fördelar såsom överlägsen smak, ökad livsmedelstrygghet och potentiella ekonomiska fördelar. 2019-02-21 First cycle, G2E NonPeerReviewed application/pdf sv https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/14241/7/mortensen_s_190219.pdf Mortensen, Stina, 2019. Dwindling diversity : attitudes and knowledge among different stakeholders about loss of agrobiodiversity in Nepal. First cycle, G2E. Alnarp: (LTJ, LTV) > Dept. of Plant Breeding (from 130101) <https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/view/divisions/4818.html> urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-10253 eng
spellingShingle Plant genetics and breeding
Mortensen, Stina
Dwindling diversity
title Dwindling diversity
title_full Dwindling diversity
title_fullStr Dwindling diversity
title_full_unstemmed Dwindling diversity
title_short Dwindling diversity
title_sort dwindling diversity
topic Plant genetics and breeding
url https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/14241/
https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/14241/