NEPAL DIVERSITY FAIR INSPIRES COMMUNITY

A unique approach to on-farm conservation in Nepal has proven highly successful in increasing awareness of traditional knowledge and the importance of maintaing diversity.

Local participants in an IPGRI-coordinated project to better understand the scientific basis of on-farm conservation came up with the idea of a diversity fair during a community workshop in the Begas village.

While seed fairs are not new, seed exchanges between small-scale farmers are disappearing in Nepal because of commercial forces in the seed market. As a result, indigenous knowledge about the properties and management of local genetic resources has started to erode.

The community-organized diversity fair focused exclusively on indigenous landraces. The organizers promoted the fair through local channels & developed a competition strategy. Prizes were awarded to farmer groups exhibiting the greatest diversity of targeted crop varieties. Women were particularly encouraged to participate. In fact women led 80% of the competing groups.

The first prize was awarded to a group that displayed a total of 43 rice landraces including upland rice and wild rice, 15 landraces of finger millet, 18 varieties of sponge gourd & 7 varieties of taro. Altogether, the diversity fair showcased 291 rice, 120 millet, 125 taro and 65 sponge gourd varieties.

In addition to the farmers and local school children, the event was well attended by local politicians, research managers, breeders and development workers.

The diversity fair forged a new understanding of the importance of diversity among the villagers, but it also created new possibilities for economic expansion. The event prompted the community to develop a standard means of seed exchange that will allow them to generate income from their genetic resources. It also inspired local groups to establish community seed banks for the conservation of local diversity.

(Source:Geneflow publication,10 Anniversary issue,1998)