The Experts below are selected from a list of 56607 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
R. C. Johnson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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gene banks pay big dividends to agriculture the environment and human welfare
PLOS Biology, 2008Co-Authors: R. C. JohnsonAbstract:Nearly a century after the pioneering American apple tree purveyor Johnny Appleseed traveled from town to town planting nurseries in the Midwestern United States, Frans Nicholas Meijer left his Netherlands home to pursue a similar vocation as an “Agricultural explorer” for the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of his career, Meijer, who changed his name to Frank Meyer after reaching the New World, helped introduce over 2,500 foreign plants from Europe, Russia, and China, including the lemon that would bear his name. Starting with his first expedition for Asian plants in 1905, Meyer would encounter isolation, physical discomfort, disease, robbers, and revolutionaries in his quest to collect useful plants. Although some of Meyer's collections are still used today, only a few are conserved in their original form. They, along with countless other collections from the early 20th century, disappeared because there was no long-term system for conservation. To rectify this problem, Congress established a system of repositories after World War II to maintain and distribute plant genetic resources. This resource has now grown into the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS; http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/plants/in_focus/pbgg_if_npgs.html) and consists of 26 repositories with approximately half a million individual collections. The NPGS functions to maintain Agricultural Biodiversity and ensure the preservation of the genetic resources needed for food security and environmental restoration.
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gene banks pay big dividends to agriculture the environment and human welfare
PLOS Biology, 2008Co-Authors: R. C. JohnsonAbstract:Nearly a century after the pioneering American apple tree purveyor Johnny Appleseed traveled from town to town planting nurseries in the Midwestern United States, Frans Nicholas Meijer left his Netherlands home to pursue a similar vocation as an “Agricultural explorer” for the US Department of Agriculture. Over the course of his career, Meijer, who changed his name to Frank Meyer after reaching the New World, helped introduce over 2,500 foreign plants from Europe, Russia, and China, including the lemon that would bear his name. Starting with his first expedition for Asian plants in 1905, Meyer would encounter isolation, physical discomfort, disease, robbers, and revolutionaries in his quest to collect useful plants. Although some of Meyer's collections are still used today, only a few are conserved in their original form. They, along with countless other collections from the early 20th century, disappeared because there was no long-term system for conservation. To rectify this problem, Congress established a system of repositories after World War II to maintain and distribute plant genetic resources. This resource has now grown into the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS; http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/plants/in_focus/pbgg_if_npgs.html) and consists of 26 repositories with approximately half a million individual collections. The NPGS functions to maintain Agricultural Biodiversity and ensure the preservation of the genetic resources needed for food security and environmental restoration.
C B A Wollny - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the need to conserve farm animal genetic resources in africa should policy makers be concerned
Ecological Economics, 2003Co-Authors: C B A WollnyAbstract:Abstract This paper outlines key factors contributing to the erosion of animal genetic resources and discusses strategic options for policy makers. The ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1993 represents an international consensus to conserve Biodiversity including that of farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR). In Africa, conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity is inbuilt into the low input–low output production strategies of smallholder farming systems. These systems are often associated with poverty in rural areas and numerous development projects have thus sought to alleviate such poverty by promoting crossbreeding or modern reproductive technologies. However, uncontrolled crossbreeding has been and remains a threat to the conservation of local farm animal populations. Objectives for the conservation of a local farm animal population and opportunities to utilise its diversity to meet present and future market demands, to serve as an insurance against environmental changes such as changes in production, socio-economic, and cultural conditions can be identified for research and development. To improve food security and to alleviate poverty through the conservation of FAnGR in Africa, utilisation of local farm animal populations depends on the ability of communities to decide on and implement appropriate breeding strategies. It is for this reason that enabling policies are required.
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the need to conserve farm animal genetic resources through community based management in africa should policy makers be concerned
2001Co-Authors: C B A WollnyAbstract:This paper outlines some key factors contributing to the erosion of animal genetic resources and discusses strategic options for livestock sector policy makers to counter such erosion in their respective countries. The ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1993 represents an international consensus to conserve Biodiversity including that of farm animal and plant genetic resources, which are prerequisites for food security and the improvement of Agricultural productivity. In Africa, conservation of Agricultural Biodiversity is inbuilt into the low input - low output production strategies of smallholder farming systems. These systems are often associated with poverty in rural areas and numerous development projects have thus sought to alleviate such poverty by promoting and subsidising crossbreeding or modern reproductive technologies. However, uncontrolled crossbreeding has been and remains a serious threat to the conservation of local farm animal populations. The primary policy goal for conservation of Biodiversity should focus on the diversity between and within indigenous populations of farm animals. This includes, for example, the close monitoring of crossbreeding activities with exotic breeds. The genetic and phenotypic characterisation of local breeds is a prerequisite for this purpose. Economic valuation of Biodiversity in general, of breeds within given production systems and an analysis of the social welfare implications of farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) diversity conservation although relatively complex to carry out are also important for informed policy making. Despite the difficulties involved, objectives for the conservation of a local farm animal population and opportunities to utilise its diversity to meet present and future market demands, to serve as an insurance against environmental changes such as changes in production, socio-economic, historic and cultural conditions can be identified for research and development. To improve food security through the conservation of animal genetic resources in Africa, utilisation of local farm animal genetic resources depends on the ability of communities to decide on and implement appropriate breeding strategies. This cannot be realised without enabling policies. It is for this reason policy makers need to be concerned and should take action now.
Irene Hoffmann - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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animal genetic resources diversity and ecosystem services
Global Food Security, 2018Co-Authors: Gregoire Leroy, Paul Boettcher, R Baumung, Tatiana From, Badi Besbes, Irene HoffmannAbstract:Abstract Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) are a component of Agricultural Biodiversity making a large contribution to ecosystem services, resulting from their complex interaction with their respective environments. This review investigates how AnGR diversity, which includes more than 7000 distinct local and 1000 transboundary livestock breeds of around 40 species plus domesticated honeybees and other pollinators, influences, through livestock production systems and practices, the generation of a diversity of provisioning, regulating and maintenance, as well as cultural ecosystem services. The main use of domestic animals is for their provisional services of food production, with a large contribution from commercial breeds in industrial production systems in developed and emerging countries. However, in rural areas of developing countries, local livestock breeds often play a crucial role in food security, nutrition and health. Less intensive systems, located especially in harsh climate conditions, offer more diverse ecosystem services, including important regulating and maintenance services, with indirect use or non-use values, while permitting the use of land not suitable for crop production. Breeds used in such systems have often developed specific adaptive features for those environments. The identification and integration of traits relevant for ecosystem services within breeding programmes represent however a particular challenge, especially in low-input systems. The keepers of the livestock that offer these services are often marginalised and isolated from markets and excluded from decision making processes, however. It is therefore important to recognize the existence and value of these ecosystem services to better understand the trade-offs and synergies associated with their maintenance, and to account for them in policy and legal frameworks at national and international levels including providing appropriate incentives to the communities contributing to the generation of those services.
Toby Hodgkin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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introduction to special issue on Agricultural Biodiversity ecosystems and environment linkages in africa
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 2012Co-Authors: Joseph Jojo Baiduforson, Toby Hodgkin, Monty JonesAbstract:Abstract This paper introduces the contents of a special issue of Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment dedicated to “AgroBiodiversity & Africa”. Placed within the context of the scientific literature on Agricultural Biodiversity, its contribution to sustainable production and its importance in Africa, this special issue starts off with background articles which reviewed major agroecosystems in Africa, descriptions of their Biodiversity resources, management, limitations and concerns. The follow-up scientific papers covered major components of Biodiversity for agriculture namely soil biota, species diversity and germplasm diversity. The soil biota papers report research and findings on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere, termite and bacterial communities and evidence on the influence of their diversity on crop production. The crop species diversity papers provide evidence on the role of the diversity in influencing soil microbial properties as well as managing pest and diseases in crop production. Scientific evidence on the role and interactions of germplasm diversity and provenance with the environment are also presented.
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Genetic diversity and conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources
Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 2002Co-Authors: V. Ramanatha Rao, Toby HodgkinAbstract:Biodiversity refers to variation within the living world, while genetic diversity represents the heritable variation within and between populations of organisms, and in the context of this paper, among plant species. This pool of genetic variation within an inter-mating population is the basis for selection as well as for plant improvement. Thus, conservation of this plant genetic diversity is essential for present and future human well-being. During recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of adopting a holistic view of Biodiversity, including Agricultural Biodiversity, conservation for sustainable utilization and development. These principles have been enshrined in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Plan of Action of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The emphasis is now to understand the distribution and extent of genetic diversity available to humans in plant species, so that the genetic diversity can be safely conserved and efficiently used. It is generally recognized that plant genetic diversity changes in time and space. The extent and distribution of genetic diversity in a plant species depends on its evolution and breeding system, ecological and geographical factors, past bottlenecks, and often by many human factors. Much of the large amount of diversity of a species may be found within individual populations, or partitioned among a number of different populations. A better understanding of genetic diversity and its distribution is essential for its conservation and use. It will help us in determining what to conserve as well as where to conserve, and will improve our understanding of the taxonomy and origin and evolution of plant species of interest. Knowledge of both these topics is essential for collecting and use of any plant species and its wild relatives. In order to mange conserved germplasm better, there is also a need to understand the genetic diversity that is present in collections. This will help us to rationalize collections and develop and adopt better protocols for regeneration of germplasm seed. Through improved characterization and development of core collections based on genetic diversity information, it will be possible to exploit the available resources in more valuable ways.
Marcela Quintero - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Changes in food access by mestizo communities associated with deforestation and agroBiodiversity loss in Ucayali, Peruvian Amazon
Food Security, 2020Co-Authors: Genowefa Blundo-canto, Gisella S. Cruz-garcia, Elise F. Talsma, Wendy Francesconi, Ricardo Labarta, Jose Sanchez-choy, Lisset Perez-marulanda, Paula Paz-garcia, Marcela QuinteroAbstract:Few longitudinal studies link Agricultural Biodiversity, land use and food access in rural landscapes. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that, in a context of economic change, cash crop expansion is associated with deforestation, reduced agroBiodiversity and changes in food access. For this purpose, we analysed data collected from the same 53 upland and floodplain mestizo households in Ucayali, Peru, in 2000 and 2015. We found an emerging transition towards less diversified food access coupled with loss of forest cover and reduced Agricultural Biodiversity. In 2015, diets appeared to rely on fewer food groups, fewer food items, and on products increasingly purchased in the market compared to 2000. Wild fruits and plants were mentioned, but rarely consumed. Agricultural production systems became more specialised with a shift towards commercial crops. Peak deforestation years in the 15-year period appeared linked with incentives for Agricultural expansion. Our results suggest an overall trend from diversified productive and “extractive” systems and more diverse food access, towards specialized productive systems, with less diverse food access and stronger market orientation (both in production and consumption). The assumption in the food and Agricultural sciences that increased income and market-orientation is linked to improved food security, is challenged by our integrated analyses of food access, agroBiodiversity, land use and forest cover. Our results highlight the importance of longitudinal, multidimensional, systemic analyses, with major implications for land use, food and health policies. The potential risks of parallel homogenisation of diets and Agricultural production systems require interdisciplinary research and policies that promote integrated landscape approaches for sustainable and inclusive food systems.