1. DOCUMENT TITLE 1
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
Author name
Date
Krystyna
Swiderska
13 June 2014
Asociacion ANDES & the Potato Park (Peru),
Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy (China),
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kenya),
Lok Chetna Manch (India)
The role of genetic resources, traditional
knowledge and innovation systems in
climate adaptation

2. DOCUMENT TITLE 2
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
IPCC 5th Report
• Impacts from recent climate related extremes eg.
heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones and wildfires
reveal significant vulnerability and exposure of some
ecosystems and many human systems.
• Over 100 million people will die by 2030 and 90% of
these will be in developing countries.
• Since 1980 c. 2.8 mil people in LDCs have died due
to climate-related disasters. People in LDCs were 5
times more likely to die.
• Likely to increase pests & diseases and drought.
• Increased impacts in risk prone environments (eg.
drylands, mountains).

3. DOCUMENT TITLE 3
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
How to respond to CC in marginal
areas?
Intensify production: High tech
seed + chemical inputs + water
Diversify production: Local
seeds + TK + agroecology
High yields in short term, declining
in 3-10 years with NR degradation
Lower yields but higher nutrition &
multi-functionality (eg. fodder)
Monoculture - vulnerable to pests
& diseases and biodiversity loss
Crop diversity - reduced
vulnerability to pests & diseases
Market returns decline over time Income diversification /organic
Health risks can be serious No health risks
High tech seeds not suited to
marginal areas
Local seeds are well adapted &
resilient
Dependence on external seed
supply & costly inputs
Self-reliance in seeds & low cost
inputs
Labour saving Labour & knowledge intensive
GHG emissions Mitigation (less inorganic inputs)

4. DOCUMENT TITLE 4
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
Diversification through
Participatory Plant Breeding
• The conventional one-size-fits-all package of new varieties
and external inputs has been successful in more
favourable areas, but has often failed to benefit small-
scale farmers in marginal areas.
• PPB should be part of every breeding programme targeting
small-scale farmers in difficult, high-risk environments
(Ceccarelli et al 2009)
• Crop breeders don’t interact with farmers. PPB & PVS
link breeders and farmers to ensure that crop research is
relevant to farmers’ needs.
• PPB involves close collaboration between scientific
researchers and farmers throughout the R&D cycle:
identifying breeding objectives, selecting parent lines,
breeding experimental materials, and evaluating these
materials (= participatory variety selection).

5. DOCUMENT TITLE 5
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
PPB increases Resilience to Climate
Change
1. Tailors crops to diverse local climates by testing on-farm.
Avoids risk of useful lines being rejected due to poor
performance on station (favourable conditions).
2. Includes farmers’ own selection criteria - can increase
yields where previous plant breeding has not (eg. barley in
N.Africa & M.East; rice in Nepal closed the yield gap)
3. Enables use of local landraces – highly resilient to drought,
pests etc. (eg. maize landraces survived big spring drought,
SW China; DNA tests show far more genetically diverse).
4. Provides larger gene pool (in situ & ex situ)
5. Enhances crop diversity, local knowledge, seed &
innovation systems – for resilience to climate variability.
6. Empowers of farmers, esp. women, due to recognition of
their knowledge & improved organisation.
7. Improves cost-effectiveness due to high adoption rates

6. DOCUMENT TITLE 6
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014

7. DOCUMENT TITLE 7
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
Maize PPB in Guangxi, SW China
(CCAP)
• PhD on impact of CIMMYT’s maize technology devt on poor
farmers found separate & conflicting formal & farmer systems
(Song, 1998)
• In 2000, PPB started in harsh karst mountains – drought
prone, poverty, food insecurity, declining maize diversity.
Results: Adaptation + Mitigation:
 Bred 8 “climate-smart” maize varieties with 15-30% higher
yields and increased drought and pest resistance.
 Conserved 200 resilient landraces & improved 30 landraces.
 Increased incomes by 30% due to higher yield, benefit-
sharing & niche markets (provincial organic restaurant).
 Revitalised traditional practices (duck-in-rice), reducing
inorganic inputs & GHGs.
 Scaled up through extension services, provincial budget,
GMRI, improved farmers’ rights (also in Vietnam & Nepal).

8. DOCUMENT TITLE 8
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014

9. DOCUMENT TITLE 9
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
Diversification through Repatriation:
The Andean Potato Park, Peru
• 6 Quechua communities pooled their land and
conserve 1460 native potato varieties; 410 came from
the International Potato Centre.
• With rising temperatures and pests, potato cultivation
has reached the top of the planting line - farmers are
testing potatoes in different parts of the landscape.
• Growing revenue from economic collectives (tourism,
crafts, gastronomy, potato, herbal products etc).10% of
revenues go to a fund for biocultural heritage.
• Benefit-sharing and collective governance based on
customary laws.
• The communities are proud of their park, thanks to the
highly participatory research approach of ANDES.

10. DOCUMENT TITLE 10
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014

11. DOCUMENT TITLE 11
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
Conclusions
• Climate resilience depends on ex situ & in situ
conservation; science & TK of local contexts. IPCC
recognised the value of TK & its exclusion from
adaptation planning.
• Intensive/top down CSA undermines adaptability &
self-reliance.
• Strengthening local innovation capacity, knowledge &
seed systems/networks is key.
• Seed laws must protect farmers’ rights & local seed
systems.
• 75% of crop diversity has been lost, largely due to the
use of only a few commercial crop varieties (FAO)
• Agriculture policies must be rethought & PPB scaled
up to protect remaining GRs & TK.

12. DOCUMENT TITLE 12
Krystyna
Swiderska
13th June 2014
IIED is addressing these challenges
through:
A 5 year action-research project with indigenous
communities in Peru, China, India and Kenya:
“Smallholder Innovation for Resilience:
Strengthening biocultural innovation systems for
food security in the face of climate change”
(SIFOR). See: www.bioculturalheritage.org