Incentives for Sustainable Use and Conservation of Agrobiodiversity

Throughout the centuries, farmers have developed crop seeds from the rich genetic diversity of naturally occurring crop species. It is only since the early twentieth century that a commercial production of crop seeds has started to replace the hand labor of crop selection. The modern breeding activities as well as farmers’ participation will continue to change the production systems of all farmers, also of those economic and ecological marginalized. Determined by the agricultural development, a rapid change of production systems may occur. A threat related to these changes is the uncontrolled loss of endemic plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The importance of in situ conservation will be analyzed in the paper, the costs of the in situ conservation will be discussed and the concept of a “controlled in situ conservation” as an economic efficient system to maintain PGRFA in situ will be introduced and the main elements of the system will be discussed. It is stressed that instruments and mechanisms for in situ conservation have to encourage farmers to ensure the future existence of the diversity of PGRFA as well as to reflect the national objectives of over-all food security. 1 Dr. Detlef Virchow; Walter-Flex-Strasse 3, D-53113 Bonn, Germany Phone: Germany 228-73-1871; Fax: Germany 228-73-1869; e-mail: [email protected] D. Virchow: Controlled in situ Conservation: An Opportunity to Maintain PGRFA on Farm-Level. 1