The Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has supported a project across several states in Northern India, with focus on screening varieties of rice and other crops for climate resilience and storing the material in newly established seed banks.
The project was implemented by the civil society organization Gene Campaign, in collaboration with Bioversity International and with the participation of 25,000 farmers.
1 July 2015: The Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has supported a project across several states in Northern India, with focus on screening varieties of rice and other crops for climate resilience and storing the material in newly established seed banks. The project was implemented by the civil society organization Gene Campaign, in collaboration with Bioversity International and with the participation of 25,000 farmers.
Almost 30 climate-resilient crop varieties were identified, mostly rice, but also finger millet. Community seed banks were established in all four project areas, including Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Some 25,000 farmers took part directly in the project activities, and a large number of them were trained in seed management, including operations and maintenance of local seed banks.
In the context of the project, modern technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), were used to map crop diversity in gene banks with potential for climate adaptation. This data was then analyzed in the context of climate change predictions at the regional level. Relevant genetic material was evaluated by farmers through programmes for participatory plant variety selection. Through seed fairs and exchange visits, farmers were also able to access material directly from other farmers. Methods for obtaining increased yields in environmentally sustainable ways were also tried with promising results. At the village level, 200,000 people are expected to benefit from a greater variety of seeds to choose from in the coming years. Knowledge and methodologies developed through the project could have relevance far beyond the project areas.
It is recalled that the ITPGR Benefit-Sharing Fund allocates funds under the direction of the ITPGR Governing Body to projects designed to support farmers in developing countries that are conserving crop diversity in their fields. [ITPGR Press Release] [Final Project Report] [Benefit-Sharing Fund Webpage]