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Manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a staple food in the North and NE of Brazil and is the main crop and source of sustenance for many thousands of small-scale family farmers. It is native to Brazil and has been cultivated and adapted over thousands of years by indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers. Some 500 million people in the tropics of the Americas, Africa and the Far East currently rely on manioc as a staple crop for their daily energy needs. The study focuses both on farmers’ in situ maintenance of agrobiodiversity and on their management of change across the whole sequence of the production both of the manioc crop and manioc foods, and of the distribution, exchange and consumption of the foods (‘the Manioc Chain’). It further analyses the contrasting systems whereby manioc is classified and named by farmers and agronomists by reference to the manioc varieties cultivated in four case study sites. Much of the specialised literature on agrobiodiversity – along with global debates about food security and rural development – deals only with the specifically agricultural practice of growing food crops. This literature omits consideration of the other elements of the Manioc Chain and only rarely draws on the type of ethnographic and ethnobotanical literature that provides the historical and cultural framework for this research. Four case studies of manioc farming communities were conducted over a period of nine months – two in Pará and two in Bahia. The approach to this enquiry is farmer-centred and interdisciplinary. Empirical findings are based on interviews and visits with about 60 farmers, agricultural extension agents in the four sites and other agricultural professionals and numerous group and family discussions. The findings are complemented by a tabulation of the characteristics of around 214 varieties as a contribution to the ethnobotany of manioc. The findings demonstrate that the loss of genetic diversity in manioc tends to be in inverse proportion to the proximity of the community to large urban centres. There remain expert farmers who cultivate diversity for cultural and not just for economic reasons. The creativity of these farmers and of their families, as producers of manioc foods, arises within dynamic local food cultures. It is highly responsive to local market demand. Yet, even so, many aspects of the culture of these rural communities go unrecognised by professionals. A change of thinking will be necessary if the in situ conservation practised by many small farmers is to continue and not to be eroded. The economic preoccupations of agricultural professionals are rarely matched with any parallel interest in the on-farm conservation of agrobiodiversity. Farmers’ understanding, perceptions and management of manioc diversity exist in a separate realm. There is a disparity of outlook. The professionals want to help the farmers to adopt modern practices and to grow high yield varieties. Yet farmers’ motivations go wider than this. They manage many varieties of the crop for reasons that include minimising disease and pest infestations, ensuring soil quality, producing diverse manioc foods to satisfy different tastes and cultivating varieties that they find ‘pretty’ or unusual. The research analyses all stages of the Manioc Chain. This broad scope provides the conceptual basis for the finding that farmers adapt to externally induced change strategically by changing their practice in any one – or in a combination – of the several aspects of the Manioc Chain. In doing so, the farmers draw upon local knowledge which varies significantly between localities while also learning from external agents. The study concludes by arguing for a change in thinking of the professionals as to the framing of and the approach to the issue of retaining in situ, on-farm agrobiodiversity for the benefit of the farmers and for those whom they supply. Agrobiodiversity in manioc is a vital resource for future generations that once lost can never be replaced.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed May 5, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-268)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2009. Graduate Programme in Higher Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 367-411). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR51672

This doctoral thesis presents three original research papers investigating aspects of agricultural production in small-farming households in two regions of Ethiopia. While answering specific research questions, the articles are connected and motivated by an interest in essential themes of agricultural development: access to seed, the use and conservation of agrobiodiversity as well as strategies to manage production risk in smallholder agriculture. The first article analyses patterns of agrobiodiversity in three communities with comparatively favourable farming conditions and good market access in the East Shewa zone of Eastern Ethiopia. Using original panel data of more than 300 households collected in 2011 and 2013, the study shows that the least vulnerable households grow a larger portfolio of food crops and wheat varieties. Based on these findings, the role of agrobiodiversity for ex ante risk management and alternative incentives for portfolio diversification are discussed. The second article investigates the effects of a fungal crop disease on agricultural production of households in East Shewa using household level panel data during and after an epidemic outbreak of yellow rust in 2010/11. Findings suggest that while varietal diversity in wheat does not increase, roughly thirty percent of households make changes in their varietal portfolio and reduce wheat cultivation in response to the disease. Disease resistant varieties are only available to 16 percent of all households with preferential access to agricultural resources. The third article presents a mixed methods study of a highly developed informal seed insurance network among subsistence‐oriented small farmers in two communities in the West Hararghe zone of Ethiopia. Based on a survey and interviews with 150 farmers, we find that the vast majority of small farmers actively participate in informal seed assistance by giving or receiving small quantities of seed without compensation. We argue that the seed assistance through gifts is practiced to insure against hunger ex ante and facilitate access to crop genetic resources in a centre of crop origin and diversity.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-01-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:40:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 miranda_tm_dr_rcla.pdf: 1107082 bytes, checksum: 0b02a0643eeee5becfac92759e0d27c7 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A conservação da agrobiodiversidade tem sido assunto de inúmeras pesquisas. Entretanto, apesar do crescente e amplo reconhecimento de sua importância, ela encontra-se ameaçada pelas constantes transformações pelas quais as áreas rurais brasileiras vêm passando. A urbanização, a mecanização da agricultura e o abandono da prática de atividades agrícolas são alguns dos fatores desencadeadores dessas mudanças. É possível conservar/manter agrobiodiversidade num contexto de constantes transformações? Quais são os efeitos dessas transformações sobre a agrobiodiversidade e conhecimento local a elas associado? O presente trabalho tem como objetivos gerais retratar a agricultura praticada pela comunidade rural de Conceição dos Ouros, MG, especialmente o cultivo da mandioca, identificar a relação entre aspectos socioculturais e os procedimentos agroecológicos do sistema agrícola atualmente mantido e estabelecer o nexo causal entre a ação dos agricultores e a manutenção da diversidade agrícola encontrada localmente. O estudo foi realizado em quinze bairros rurais de Conceição dos Ouros, município regionalmente conhecido como a capital do polvilho. Os capítulos que compõem este trabalho consistem: 1) na caracterização socioeconômica dos moradores das áreas rurais; 2) na descrição dos espaços de cultivo e técnicas de manejo, bem como no levantamento das raízes e tubérculos mantidos localmente; 3) levantamento e análise da diversidade genética das etnovariedades de mandioca presentes no local. Em linhas gerais, constatou-se que as unidades domiciliares são comandadas por casais de idade avançada, de origem local e que se dedicam ao exercício da agricultura para sobreviver. Os descendentes, homens, tendem a permanecer nas unidades domiciliares... / Agrobiodiversity conservation is a current subject of a large number of researches. However, besides its grown and wide recognition, agrobiodiversity is being constantly endangered by frequent changes in rural areas, such as urbanization, agriculture mechanization and abandonment of agriculture activities. In this context, is it possible to maintain/conserve agrobiodiversity? How these changes affect agrobiodiversity maintenance and associated local knowledge? The general objective of this study is to report agricultural practices related to cassava cultivation held by rural communities of Conceição dos Ouros Municipality, MG. Also, we tried to identify the correlation between sociocultural aspects and agroecological procedures present in the cultivation system, as well to understand the cause-effect relationship between farmers’ action and agrobiodiversity maintenance. The research was conducted in 15 rural neighborhoods of Conceição dos Ouros, regionally known as starch flour capital. The chapters of this study are about: 1) socioeconomic characterization of rural communities; 2) description of management techniques, cultivated areas and roots and tubers survey; 3) cassava ethnovarieties survey and genetic diversity analysis. We noticed that households are controlled by old local couples, whose principal activity is agriculture. Male descendents tend to stay in their parent’s household, practicing agriculture. Descendents who leave parent’s household usually practice activities that are not related to agriculture. Cultivated areas (“roças”, “mandiocais” e homegardens) maintain some level of diversity, where it is possible to find species used for several purposes. These areas are also important for families’ subsistence and local economy. The set of roots and tubers locally established is reduced and it is not ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Agrobiodiversity Enhancement (ABDE) is a strategy that has been advanced for preventing environmental degradation without losing agricultural productivity. However, there is not yet sufficient evidence to support the important role that ABDE might have for managing agricultural land use in the tropical uplands. This research is an attempt to help fill this knowledge gap. The general aim of the thesis was to explore the potential of ABDE as a management alternative for agricultural land use in the uplands in terms of environmental protection, productivity and farmer acceptability. To achieve the aim, a methodological framework for evaluating agricultural land use in the uplands was developed. The methodology aimed at allowing one to understand the influence of agricultural land use on natural resources and farm productivity and the social factors that will most likely influence land users to enhance agrobiodiversity of their production. The methodological framework provided a minimum set of criteria and indicators that can be used for assessing agricultural land uses in the uplands. Main criteria for the evaluation included protection, productivity, viability security and acceptability. The following indicators were included: Shannon Diversity Index, Depth of Topsoil, Soil Organic Matter, Soil Nitrate, Crop Yields, Net Income, Trend in Income and Harvest Loss, Farmer Traits, Farm Characteristics and Farmer perceptions on the influence of farming on the health of natural resources and of the farm workers. The methodological framework also includes a range of methods and techniques for gathering environmental, economic and social data in the uplands and indicates circumstances under which each might best be utilized. Using the methodological framework, agricultural land use in an upland area in Liliw, Laguna Philippines was evaluated for protection of natural resources, specifically of the soil quality and for farm productivity and for the social factors that influence the way agricultural lands are managed. Results showed integration of horticultural trees and crops have potential for protecting thickness of the topsoil, reducing nutrient wastage and is more economically profitable than monocropping systems. Specifically, coconut exhibited importance in maintaining thickness of topsoil while lanzones played major role in augmenting farm income and as buffer to income losses from annual crops. Older farmers and women were found associated with agricultural land use with diversified production in the case study area. The Logit model analysis further showed that leadership quality and land ownership are the social factors that will likely influence integration of horticultural trees and crops in the uplands. Other personal characteristics like years of experience in farming, access to other sources of livelihood, land size, awareness of land degradation and effect of agrochemicals on heath of the farm workers have no likely influence on agricultural lands with integration of horticultural trees and crops. SWOT analysis of agricultural land use in the case study site showed that despite the environmental and economic advantages of agricultural lands with diversified production, there are weaknesses and barriers to its further development and implementation. From this assessment, implications for developing and implementing an ABDE intervention program for the tropical uplands were drawn.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-02T11:16:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-09-22Bitstream added on 2014-12-02T11:21:36Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000800067.pdf: 2616306 bytes, checksum: a4a4354bb9d5af08e44bd27ad05ca6e2 (MD5) / O presente estudo teve como objetivo averiguar qual a importância dos quintais agroflorestais para garantir a segurança alimentar e renda das famílias no assentamento Pirituba II.Para buscar elementos necessários foram entrev istados 30 assentados em seus respectivos quintais e analisados os dados referentes as entregas para o Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos da cooperativa que os entrevistados participam. Os quintais agroflorestais eram estruturados de forma irregular com ár ea média de 17.933 m 2 . Todos os quintais fazem associação do componente vegetal com o componente animal, sendo a maior parte (89%) aves. Foram encontradas 81 espécies vegetais, sendo 63 gêneros divididos em 37 famílias botânicas. Em média, cada quintal pos sui 13 variedades vegetais consideradas alimentícias, a menor quantidade de plantas encontrada em um quintal foi 7 e a maior 30.As plantas alimentí cias mais cultivadas pertencem à s família s Cucurbitaceae, Rutaceae e Brassicacea. As espécies mais produzidas são as fruteiras (35,9%), seguido dos legumes (27,2%) e as folhosas (17,4%), em menor escala são anuais (7,6%) e outros (12%). Quanto ao hábito de crescimento das espécies, 50% são plantas herbáceas, 26% arbóreo, 11% rasteiro, 10% arbustivo e 3% trepadeir a. A s práticas culturais dentro destes espaços são agroecológicas, garantindo o equilíbrio do sistema. O manejo destes quintais são realizados pelos membros das famílias. As famílias têm grande dependência de insumos externos, principalmente mudas e sement es. Foi observado um alto grau de conhecimento existente sobre o usos dos recursos. Esta agrobiodiversidade colabora conservação dos recursos naturais e segurança alimentar das família e constituem uma fonte de renda com as entregas para o Programa de aqui sição de Alimentos / The present study aimed to verifying the importance of homegardens to ensure food security and household income in Pirituba II Setlement. 30 farmers were interviewed in their homegardens and analyzed the data deliveries to the Food Purchase Program (PAA in Portuguese) of the cooperative that respondents participate. The homegardens were irregularly structured with area averaging 17,933 m 2 . All homegardens are associated with the animal component, most (89%) poultry. 81 plant species were found, of which 63 genera divided into 37 botanical families. On average, each home garden had 13 varieties considered as food, the smallest quantity of plants in a yard was 7 and 30 the biggest edible cultivated plants belonging to Cuc urbitaceae, Rutaceae and Brassicacea belong. The most species are produced fruit plants (35.9%), followed by vegetables (27.2%) and broadleaves (17.4%), on a smaller scale are annual (7.6%) and others (12%) . Regarding the growth habit of the species, 50% are herbaceous plants, 26% arboreal, 11% creeping, 10% shrubby and 3% vine. The cultural practices within these spaces agroecological, ensuring the balance of the system. The management of these gar dens are made by family members. Families have great dependence on external inputs, mainly seeds and seedlings. A high degree of knowledge about the uses of resources was observed. This collaborates agrobiodiversity conservation of food security and natu ral resources of the family and are a source of income with supplies for the Food Purchase Program

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-09-16T13:13:15Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Amorim_2016_PRODEMA.pdf: 15565181 bytes, checksum: 379869bce0807cb4732ec2e2839e6b31 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-16T13:13:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Amorim_2016_PRODEMA.pdf: 15565181 bytes, checksum: 379869bce0807cb4732ec2e2839e6b31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-11 / CNPq / Esta pesquisa partiu da hipótese de que os agricultores camponeses do Alto Sertão Sergipano, que utilizam as sementes crioulas, contribuem para a construção da agroecologia, uma vez, que o uso destas variedades, remete a um conjunto de práticas agrícolas tradicionais e relações sociais que contradizem o modelo imposto pelo agronegócio. O debate sobre a construção de um modelo de desenvolvimento rural pautado na sustentabilidade e no respeito aos conhecimentos tradicionais, passa centralmente pela valorização das sementes crioulas, pois estas se constituem como um elemento essencial para uma agricultura resiliente, além de nos auxiliar na compreensão da racionalidade camponesa, uma vez que aglutina outros aspectos importantes dos sistemas camponeses de produção. Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida no Território do Alto Sertão Sergipano, mais especificamente em comunidades camponesas nos municípios de Canindé de São Francisco, Poço Redondo, Porto da Folha e Monte Alegre de Sergipe. A orientação metodológica se deu a partir da perspectiva dialética, uma vez que esta permite à agroecologia transformar o objeto de pesquisa em sujeito da mesma, reconhecendo o saber popular como válido e base para a construção de um conhecimento novo e transformado. Para tanto, se fez necessário o uso de metodologias participativas, que permite uma diversidade de atores como participantes ativos de um processo interação criativa e proporciona o protagonismo de atores tradicionalmente excluídos do processo de pesquisa. Observou-se que os camponeses possuem um grande acervo genético, composto por 18 variedades de feijão de arranque, 16 de milho, 15 de fava, 8 de feijão de corda e andu cada um. Estas sementes são armazenadas, nos Bancos de Sementes Familiares, em toneis, silos de zinco, garrafas PET, entre outros recipientes. As médias de quantidade de variedades de sementes dos camponeses cujos sistemas de produção prevalecem o uso de práticas convencionais, foi significativamente inferior aqueles que mantem as práticas tradicionais. Isso corrobora a afirmação de que a modernização da agricultura no Alto Sertão e a conformação da bacia leiteira, interferiram negativamente da manutenção da diversidade genética deste território. A partir dos resultados e das discussões realizadas ao longo desta dissertação, observou-se que de fato, o uso das variedades crioulas, potencializaram a agricultura tradicional camponesa neste território, que por sua vez traz uma enorme contribuição para a construção do conhecimento agroecológico. Mas por outro lado, a manutenção destas práticas, por aqueles agricultores alheios a modernização, também está diretamente relacionada com a conservação da agrobiodiversidade no território estudado. Portanto, há uma relação dialética entre a agricultura camponesa e o uso das sementes crioulas. / The hypothesis of this study is that the peasants from Alto Sertão Sergipano who cultivate landrace seeds contribute to the construction of Agroecology since the use of these varieties involves a set of traditional agricultural practices and social relations that opposes the hegemonic agribusiness model. The debate over the construction of a sustainable rural development model based on respect for the traditional knowledge centrally involves the recovery of landrace seeds since that constitute an essential element for a resilient agriculture, and support us to understand the peasant rationality because brings together others important aspects of peasant production systems. This research was conducted on the Territory of Alto Sertão Sergipano, specifically in rural communities in the municipalities of Canindé de São Francisco, Poço Redondo, Porto da Folha and Monte Alegre from estate of Sergipe. The method was based on the dialectical perspective and this allows the agroecology transform the research object in the research subject recognizing the popular knowledge as a valid basis for building a new and transformed knowledge. Therefore, it was necessary use participatory methodologies, allowing a diversity of actors as active participants of a creative interaction process and provides the role of actors traditionally excluded from the scientific research process. We observed that the peasants of the research has a large genetic reserve composed of 18 varieties of common bean, 15 varieties of broad bean, 16 varieties of corn and 8 varietes of cowpea and of pigeon pea. These seeds are stored in the "Family Seed Banks", in vats, zinc silos, PET bottles, and other containers. The average amount of seed varieties of peasants who mostly adopted conventional practices in the production system was significantly lower than those peasants who maintained their traditional practices. This fact corroborate the affirmation that agricultural modernization and the implementation of the dairy production on the Alto Sertão Sergipano interfered negatively on the maintenance of genetic diversity of this territory. From the results and discussions held throughout this dissertation we observed that the use of landrace varieties leveraged the traditional peasant agriculture in the territory which brings a huge contribution to the construction of agroecological knowledge. In addition, the maintenance of these traditional practices by those peasants that are on the margins of Modernization is also directly related to the conservation of agrobiodiversity in the studied area. Therefore there is a dialectical relation between peasant agriculture and the use of landrace seeds.

One of the most pressing challenges facing the world today is how to sustainably feed a growing population while conserving the ecosystem services we depend on. Coffee landscapes are an important site for research on agrifood systems because they reflect global-scale dynamics surrounding conservation and livelihood development. Within them, we find both what is broken in our global agrifood system, as well as the grassroots struggles that strive to change the system by building socio-ecologically resilient, sustainable livelihoods. Research shows that smallholder shade coffee farmers steward high biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. At the same time, studies in the last decade demonstrate that many smallholder coffee farmers in Mesoamerica suffer annual periods of seasonal hunger, as well as pervasive poverty. This dissertation explores household livelihood strategies, with a particular emphasis on agroecology, and how they can contribute to build sustainable systems that secure food and maintain biodiversity in coffee communities of Chiapas, Mexico. Research was conducted using a mixed methods approach, which included the collection of quantitative and qualitative socio-ecological data through focus groups, surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant observation and plant inventories. Surveys were conducted with 79 households in 11 communities, all located within the buffer zone of a biosphere reserve. A stratified random sample of 31 households from these 79 were surveyed again to collect more in-depth data, including the collection of biophysical data in their subsistence and coffee land use systems. The following research questions were explored: 1) What are the major ecological, social, economic, and political drivers of seasonal hunger? 2) What is the relationship between agrobiodiversity (plant and livestock diversity) and food security (months of adequate household food provisioning and dietary diversity)? 3) What household livelihood assets and strategies contribute to or limit food security and food sovereignty? Across the sample population, total agrobiodiversity and maize and bean production were strongly correlated with improved food security. Coffee income was not strongly correlated with improved food security, which suggests that income is used for priorities within the household other than food, despite seasonal food shortages. Results demonstrate the importance of balancing subsistence and commodity (i.e. coffee) production in these communities, where subsistence food serves as a risk management strategy to buffer against volatility in coffee prices, in addition to offsetting income that might be used for food towards non-food expenses. Subsistence production, which typically applies agroecological practices in this site, also holds important cultural and environmental value. The results of this research indicate that government policy and development practice should enable farmers to maintain the social, ecological and cultural processes that support the management of agrobiodiversity for subsistence and coffee.