In a publication titled, 'Custodian farmers of agricultural biodiversity: selected profiles from South and South East Asia,' released following a workshop held 11-12 February 2013 in New Delhi, India, Bioversity International describes the role of farmers from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal and Thailand in safeguarding the biodiversity of a wide variety of crops including mangoes, millet, indigenous vegetables, and rootstocks.
26 June 2013: In a publication titled ‘Custodian farmers of agricultural biodiversity: selected profiles from South and South East Asia,’ Bioversity International describes the role of farmers from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal and Thailand in safeguarding the biodiversity of a wide variety of crops including mangoes, millet, indigenous vegetables and rootstocks.
The publicationwhich was released following a workshop held 11-12 February 2013 in New Delhi, India, tracks lessons learned from putting on-farm conservation theory into practice, for example learning from low cost in-situ approaches that empower local farmers and encourage continuous innovation. It notes that custodian farmers tend to be: driven by conservation ideology; important providers of knowledge and skills; highly motivated and self-directed; and focused on consistent commitment.
The New Delhi workshop will be followed by a similar workshop in August 2013 in Nepal to track the progress of additional custodian farmers. Bioversity International is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Bioversity International Press Release] [Publication: Custodian farmers of agricultural biodiversity: selected profiles from South and South East Asia] [Bioversity International Workshop on Custodian Farmers of Agricultural Biodiversity: Policy support for their roles in use and conservation]