Who maintains fruit tree diversity on farm?Hugo Lamers, Francesco Caracciolo, TM Gajanana et. al.21 August 2014, International Horticulture Conference, Brisbane, Australia

Mango growers in Malihabad, UP, India

Outline:

• Introduction and purpose

• Research question

• Methodology

• Data and results

• Conclusions and recommendations

Introduction

• Increasing interest for on-farm

conservation programs next to ex-

situ conservation

• Often assumed that crop diversity

is maintained by the poor

• Which social and economic factors

or farm practices of households

can explain or are highly

associated with a high level of on-

farm diversity

In partnership with

The Tropical Fruit Tree Project

On-farm and in-situ conservation through

Community Biodiversity Management

How to intervene?

CBM

• 4 countries

• 22 sites

• 36 communities

• 15,000 Households

Three types of benefits from TFT diversity

• Fundamental source for new seedling material through open pollination and human & natural selection

• Eco-system services (pollination, lower pest & disease pressure)

• Risk management (economic, agronomic, climate)

• Source of food items (nutritional diversity)

• Source of non-food items

• Source of income

Why on-farm and in-situ conservation of PGR?

• Sustains the evolutionary process to create new diversity

• Sustains eco-system services and beneficial interactions with other species

• Sustains the cultural and traditional knowledge that is associated with the species or varieties

• Recognizes farmers’ rights - farmers as breeders

• Fruit tree species are recalcitrant

• Field genebanks are expensive and lack space

Who maintains fruit tree diversity on farm?

And Why?

Research questions

Methodology

1. Household questionnaire

• Random sampling of approx. 10% of the fruit farmers in each

community

• Total of 944 respondents

• Intra-specific diversity of mango, family characteristics, assets,

farm practices, income, market distance and use of services

(micro-finance, technical assistance)

2. Semi-structured interviews with ‘custodian farmers’

• Households who maintain most diversity and knowledge

• Identified by researchers, development workers or fellow

villagers

Sites

• 5 sites

• 18 communities

• 7,000 Households

Selection indicators

• Range of agro-ecosystems

• Traditional farming area with

low incomes

• Fruit trees important for

livelihoods

• Availability of local institutions

Results 1-.

4-.

20

.2.4

Wea

lth

Ind

ex

Amravati Chittoor Malihabat Pusa Sirsi

01

23

45

Ric

hn

ess

intr

asp

ecif

ic m

ang

ifer

a

Amravati Chittoor Malihabat Pusa Sirsi

05

10

15

20

-2 0 2 4 6Wealth index

Ric

hnes

s in

tra-

speci

fic_m

angif

era

Results 2

• The wealth index affects positively both the diversity indexes

• Intraspecific diversity affects positively the wealth index; however

there is no evidence of the effect of Simpson index on the wealth

index

• Weighted orchard age affects positively the intraspecific diversity of

mango, there is no effect on Simpson index

• Factors affecting intraspecific diversity of mango are: household

location, received technical assistance (+).

• Factors affecting the Simpson index are: household location,

received technical assistance (+) irrigation (+) number of female

household members (+) weeding (-) and market distance (-)

Results 3

36%

52%

62%

74%

85%

86%

91%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

cultural…

hobby

income

adaptation

forefathers

loss of diversity

home use

Why do you maintain a wide range of different fruit tree species and varieties at your farm?

35%

53%

12%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

No

Yes

Don’t …

I earn more income if I replace and grow commercial types

Conclusions

• Mango diversity maintained most likely by wealthier households

in traditional agricultural regions

• Motivations of custodian households are not only private and

economic but also common and social – secure crop diversity,

heritage from forefathers

• Different profiles for ‘users’ and ‘custodians’ of fruit tree diversity

So what?

• Policy makers, donors and

practitioners often link crop

diversity directly to poverty

• To improve impact and

effectiveness of interventions

Recommendations

• Need for tailored interventions to

custodians and users

• How to facilitate beneficial

linkages between both groups

Thank you