As part of a legacy of investment since 2001 by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Bioversity International in supporting neglected and underutilized species (NUS), a set of publications in international journals has been released documenting results from NUS activities in Brazil and Yemen.
3 March 2014: As part of a legacy of investment since 2001 by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Bioversity International in supporting neglected and underutilized species (NUS), a set of publications in international journals has been released documenting results from NUS activities in Brazil and Yemen.
The Brazilian research describes efforts by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and its partners to manage native fruits, vegetables and grains through ex situ collections and on farm conservation of agricultural biodiversity. The research documents the value of the traditional knowledge of farmers in ensuring that genetic diversity is preserved. It outlines the relationships between Embrapa and farming communities, which ensure that germplasm can reach the field.
The work in Yemen identifies a link between participation in NUS interventions and perceived yield increases by smallholder farmers. In addition, participating NUS farmers continued to apply interventions beyond the lifetime of the project, demonstrating the sustainability of effective NUS interventions. The study results from both Yemen and Brazil demonstrate the potential for NUS value chains to be enhanced to improve rural livelihoods.
The current phase of Bioversity International-led NUS activities focuses on: developing and testing new methods to conserve traditional crops at the farm level; integrating the monitoring of diversity on-farm; promoting a conservation agenda in national programmes; and providing approaches to guide future research on climate change adaptation opportunities. Bioversity International is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Improving rural livelihoods through the conservation and use of underutilized species: evidence from a community research project in Yemen] [Publication: Agricultural Biodiversity in Southern Brazil: Integrating Efforts for Conservation and Use of Neglected and Underutilized Species] [NUS Website]