4.

Documenting and
assessing uses and threats
of agricultural biodiversity
 What is CBR ?
It is a record kept in a Register book or Videos or Tape
records developed by community members to document
their biodiversity and traditional knowledge and ways its’
management.

Documentation

Monitoring

Exchange

Value addition &

Marketing

Benefit Sharing

Ownership / Control over

 Key Steps of CBR

Documentation Validation Analysis &

Synthesis

Sharing in Village
level workshops and
Biodiversity decision making
Fund

Implementing
Conservation and
Development Plans
 Detail steps Implementation of CBR
Step 9
Registration and maintenance of
CBR at local level linking with
national repository
Facilitate community to prioritize
and develop, implement
conservation and development
Step 8
plans (linkage with fund)
Sharing CBR results
with community and
others stakeholders
Step 7
Development of code of conduct
for community based access and
benefit sharing
Step 6
Step 1
Selecting the Area and
Community
Sharing rationale and
objectives of CBR with
Step 2
farmers/community
Identify and strengthen local
institution capacity to Step 3
implement CBR at village level
Step 4
Selecting types of CBR (Register,
Tape, Videos) and preparation of
minimum data set for CBR
Documentation, Validation,
Analysis of CBR by local Step 5
communities during Diversity fair
 A Model of CBR Register (Database format)

Site/Community
Address, Date etc.

Local Distinguishing Year of first

Crop/species Habit characters Habitat Altitude plantation Source of seeds/seedlings
name

Parts used Harvesting Processing process Unique use/values Use/vale for Propagation techniques (which
Importance time details (details) what (details) part/how/time)

Decision making/Management (Gender, Caste, Person, religion Local conservation

Marketing (how/where) status (Common, Management trend Reasons
etc.) in Conservation, processing, consumption, marketing
medium, rRare) (Increasing, Same,
Decreasing)

Knowledge holder address

(Person, communities or Any others Photograph of GRs
organizations)
1. Locating unique diversity and
their custodians
Custodian Farmer Groups
Farmers groups Rice Taro Cucumber
Dadathar 40 13 12
Aduwabari 28 7 9
Archalthar 25 7 9

States who maintain ABD and why/ search new

seeds and planting materials
Custodian Farmers

Farmers name Crop landrace/no.

Bishnu Hari Tiwari Rice
(Archalthar) (20 landraces)
Saraswati Kandel Taro
(Aduwabari) (7 landraces)
Ganga Adhikari Cucumber
(Dadathar) (4 landraces)
 Effectiveness of CBR……
2. Monitoring status of
local biodiversity
80

70
76
60 Begnas Village Experiences
50
Total
40 41 Rare 80 76
30 75
30 70
20 65
17 17 60
10 12 9
55
50 Introduced
0 4 4 1 45
40 lost
Rice F.millet
Rice F. millet S. Gourd Cucumber
Sponge
Taro
Cucumber Taro
35 30 Maintain
30
25
20 17
15 12
F.millet 10
5 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9

0
6 12 6 10 Rice F Milllet Taro Sponge
gourd
Cucumber

2 88 2 10
10
Lost landraces :Parampyuri
Barmeli
Yr 56-57 Yr 57-58
Effectiveness of CBR………….

Farmers descriptors Local use/values

3. Promoting
value-addition:
Options for Aromatic, early maturity, Cultural value,
Researchers, non-lodging, delay Medicinal value
Private appetite, disease ( cooling effect,
resistant, flood resistant, suitable for
entrepreneurs drought tolerant, shade maternity
and farmers bearer, low moisture and period)
nutrient required, more
tillers and long straw.
Uniqueness in RICE landraces of Begnas

High medicinal value

with cultural importance
Effectiveness of CBR….
4. Creating basis for
piloting conservation
actions and management
plan (CBM) at community
level Community Seed Bank in Bara

Conservation: Diversity blocks,Genetic materials for

improvement, Conservation awareness
Management : Value-addition, Market linkages,Seed
production, Community seed banks,
Habitat management
Effectiveness of CBR….
5. Basis for Community
control over their local
resources and
complementarity's for
National biodiversity
Registration Process
(MoFSC/IUCN, MoAC)

‘Community Biodiversity
Declaration’ of Begnas and Rupa
Village Farmers
 Benefits of CBR:
 record inventory of all crop genetic resources linked with their
livelihoods
 strengthen access to information and crop seeds
 strengthen market and seed networks
 document status of crop resources with reasons for
maintenance
 records database useful to research and development (r&d)
workers
 help the process of developing sense of ownership at
grassroots level
 help in describing ecology and diversity with area-specific
needs identified
Diversity fair: Tool to promote
conservation and utilization of
agricultural biodiversity
 What is diversity fair ?
• competitive event
• exhibiting local
biodiversity
• sensitize the
community on the
value and use of
conserving
biodiversity,
• access genetic
diversity at
 Why diversity fair ?
• to sensitize the farming communities for
conservation and utilization of agro-
biodiversity
• to assess, locate and identify custodians of
genetic diversity
• to promote farmers selection, seed exchange
and actual distribution of diversity
• to raise the community awareness on the
value and existence of crop genetic diversity
How to organize diversity fair ?

Preparatory Phase

Implementation Phase

Synthesis and
Evaluation Phase
 Preparatory Phase

•Sharing the concept of DF with the farming

communities
•Formulation of DF modality
•Wider sharing and community level planning
•Formulating the guiding principles of DF ☺

Preparatory Phase
Implementation Phase
Synthesis and
Evaluation Phase
 Implementation Phase

•Formulation of DF management committees

•Development of community workplan for DF
•Orientation and training on DF
•Distribution of stationeries and other materials
•Monitoring the groups
•Publicizing the event
•Stall preparation
•Staging the exhibits
Preparatory Phase
•Monitoring and fair judging ☺ Implementation Phase
Synthesis and
Evaluation Phase
 Synthesis and
Evaluation Phase

•Sharing and learning from the exhibition

•Rapid assessment of the initial effects of DF
•Roundup meeting (formulate work plan)

Preparatory Phase
Implementation Phase
Synthesis and
Evaluation Phase
Effectiveness..

Assessment of species/varieties richness

farming communities collect the local agro-

biodiversity and exhibit in such fairs.
therefore, df is a very effective tool to:
– Document the diversity richness in the community and
Total species and their associated information
(propagation, growth habits and status of the
species/varieties (population increasing, same or
decreasing)
– To identify the rare and unique species
Farmers’ Traveling and Learning
Workshop: An Effective Approach of
Collective Learning in Biodiversity
and Natural Resources Management
 What is Farmers Travelling and
Learning Workshop?

It is a collective learning process designed by

the farming community to have exposure on the
initiatives taken by the other farming
communities in the field of agro-biodiversity
management
 Key elements of FTLW

Participatory
Bottom up approach
Collective learning and sharing
Farmer led/managed
Farmers Traveling and Learning Workshop
(FTLW)
Sharing with non-participants
Field Visits
Planning for the visit
identification of the visiting sites
Setting/modifying objective
Demand from farmers/groups
Village level workshop
Transact walk
Group interaction
Good practices Identification
Planting material exchange
Sharing day’s experience
Identifying no. of sub-groups
and group leader
Identifying coordinating team
analyzing proposed
visit sites and objective
 Effectiveness of FTLW..
Initiation of group fund and mobilisation
• Jhapa farmer initiated group fund generation and
mobilisation practices e.g., membership fee,
monthly saving, penalties – Rs 22,000 (in a year
2004-2005)

• Fund mobilised to the poorer members of the

group

• Initiation of establishment of revolving fund by

Tanahun (Chepang) after their visit to Gorkha
(Chepang Group)
 Effectiveness of FTLW..
Increased group cohesiveness and
solidarities
• Jhapa Home Garden group: unification of
Pahadiya and Rajbansi/Tajpuriya communities

• Group registration of Tanahun Chepang

community
 Effectiveness of FTLW..

Farmer to farmer dissemination of

technologies

• Use value of chayote: Ilam to Gulmi

• Nursery management in home corridor (mostly by

the farmers having limited space)
 Key learning from FTLW
• Farmers better understand farmers language
• Interaction/discussion is more open/fruitful
• Good practices learned from farmers are
easily replicated by the farmers
• FTLW promotes extension and dissemination
of technologies/process and conservation of
biodiversity
Rural Radio Programme : An effective
means to raise public awareness for conservation
and utilization of agro-biodiversity
What is Rural Radio Programme?

Containing local contents with active

participation of rural people and other
stakeholders

Radio programme run by media people and

technical person on agro-biodiversity
 Features of Rural Radio Program
•Participatory (involve all stakeholders)

 Discussion forum to debate on

emerging issues of agro-biodiversity
 Disseminate innovative ideas on agro-
biodiversity
 Features of Rural Radio Programme (cont….)

 Based on local demand

 Focused programme
 Sharing and learning (media and
technical)
 Provide forum to form public
opinion and policies on agro-
biodiversity
Process/Steps
Setting Multidisciplinary team

Identify radio partner

Broadcasting time and frequency

Programme designing by
multidisciplinary team

{
•meetings
Periodic review and planning •feedback collection
•survey
 Process/Steps (cont…)
Sphere of collaboration
Farmers Researchers
Farmers group Scientists

Private Policy Makers

entrepreneurs LI-BIRD KO CHAUTARI
(LI-BIRD/Annapurna FM/IPGRI)

Listeners’
Clubs

Students
GOs/NGOs
INGOs Public
 Teej Geet, Rural Roadside Drama and
Rural Poetry Journey: Participatory tool
for public awareness of
Agrobiodiversity Conservation
What is teej geet ?

Teej geet is a song; sung by women on the

occasion of women festival called teej,
these songs usually consists of the tales of
happiness, injustice, sorrows that they face
at their husbands house which they narrate
at their father’s house

• In situ team in consultation with local

community based organizations (CBOs)
conceptualized the idea of expressing the
theme of agricultural biodiversity in teej
 Process
Sharing meeting • Shared the concept and purpose of the teej geet
competition with the farmers and the local community

Identification of local • Selected the organization responsible for organizing

institution the event
• Pragatisheel Youth Club” was selected

• To make aware of the roles and responsibilities

of the organisers
Agreement with Club

• Suitable methods, sample size, location and venue

• Identification of individuals and the farmers group
Meeting with collaborators taking part in the competition
• Formation of evaluation committee
 Process contd.

Publicizing the • Information about the program relayed in wider

competition circle
• Publicized the event through local media
(newspaper
and radio), farmer group and their networks

• Group or group representatives taking part in the

Orientation
competition
• Rules and regulation, rationale and theme

• Theme of biodiversity conservation

Creation of songs
• Local vernacular languages

• Registration of participant group

Group registration • List of participant preparation
 Process contd.

Logistic arrangement • Musical instruments, and the musicians for the songs
for the event • Venue

• All the groups came up with the songs and to make it

more attractive danced with the tune of their songs
Organizing the event

• Evaluation team assessed the best songs (quality of

songs, theme use and lyrics composition
Awarding the winners • Winner group awarded

• Best one broadcasted in local radio (FM), published in

local newspapers
Documentation and • All the songs audio taped and documented and
Publication published in a form of book “Sampada”
• Books distributed to different stakeholders
What is Rural Roadside Drama?

• Rural roadside drama literally means

“gramin sadak natak”

• The message on biodiversity conservation

is given to the community through a drama,
where play writers spent a few nights in a
village community to pick up a local story,
which is further presented in the form of
drama by the actors.
 Process
Sharing meeting • Shared the concept and purpose of the event
with the farmers and the local community

• Briefed on the objectives of the project and messages

Conceptualizing the theme
needed to be delivered to the farming community
with the drama group

• Local writer wrote the script reflecting the value of

Writing the story biodiversity conservation
• Local vernacular languages

• Team identified the gaps in the script and gave

Review the story feedback to the writer
• Incorporate feedback
Rehearsals of the drama • Script read out by actors
• Actors identified
• Started the rehearsals

• Publicized in a wider circle through local media,

Publicizing the event
farmers group and their network

Organizing the drama

• Staged the drama

Feed back collection • Follow up meeting to collect the feedback from

the viewers of the drama

• Documented for future reference and published in the

Documentation and form of a book, “Gauko Katha Yestai Hunchha Hai”.
publication • Distributed to different stakeholders.
What is Rural Poetry Journey?

• Rural Poetry Journey means “gramin

kabita yatra”.

• In rural poetry journey, the national and

local poets/poetess sensitize farming
communities on conservation issues
through their poems
 Process
planning meeting • Shared the concept and purpose with the farmers and
the local community

• Select the organization responsible for organizing the

Identification of local
event
institution
• Pokhereli yuba sanskritik pariwar” as an organizer.
• “Pragatisheel Youth Club” in Dhikurpokhari

Agreement with the

organizers • To make aware of the roles and responsibilities
of the organisers

• Appropriate process, date, venue and participants

Meeting with organizers
for the program
 Process contd.

• Invited through a formal invitation letter, telephone and

Inviting poets/poetess
personal communication

Meeting with poets and

• Discuss on norms, purpose and rationale of the
poetess
program and preparatory works

• Local communities consulted before publicizing

Publicizing the event • Publicize in wider circle through media farmers
group and their network

Establishment of rules • Each poet write at least one new poem

 Process contd.

• Poets and poetess met went to villages to interact with

Interactive writing poems
local community people, project staff and scientists
• At the time of journey they write poems and songs

• In morning and evening time recited the poems

Recitation of poems
• Each day recite the poems

• Some poem broadcasted in local radio (FM),

published in local newspapers
Documentation and • All the poems audio taped and documented
publication • Poems compiled and published in a form of book
“Sampada”.
• Distributed to different stakeholders
THANK YOU