Community-based management of cultivated biodiversity - A French initiative on forage crops to design agro-ecological systems

Summary

The over-simplification of modern intensive agro-ecosystems in terms of cultivated biodiversity had dramatically increased their vulnerability to stresses and perturbations. In order to create and use a higher specific and genetic diversity several community management seed systems (or “Seed Houses”) are being currently set up in France. In this country where most farmers are used to buying commercial seeds, these initiatives are considered innovative. They also raise several issues such as: how to obtain, improve and conserve adapted plant genetic resources? How farmers’ communities can organise themselves to produce and exchange seeds amongst their members? Which procedures, which quality thresholds, which skills and which tools must be developed? With the aim to finding solutions the participatory research project entitled “ProABiodiv” involving farmers, extension services and researchers in genetics, sociology and economy was set up in 2011 on forage crops. It is a good illustration of how we can bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and the know-how of practitioners. Solutions must be locally developed as they are connected to a specific background, producing outputs that guide practitioners in raising the relevant questions rather than providing recipes.