Agrobiodiversity Conservation and the Role of Rural Women

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RAP PUBLICATION 2002/07

AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATIONAND THE ROLE OF RURAL WOMEN:

an expert consultation report

SEAMEO-SEARCA HeadquartersUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños

Laguna, Philippines

10–13 September 2001

Organized by:

Food and Agriculture Organization –Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO-RAP)

International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives WithAgricultural Research and Development (CIP-UPWARD)

SEAMEO Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studyand Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO-SEARCA)

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do notimply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory,city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers orboundaries.

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this informationproduct for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without priorwritten permission from copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged.Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercialpurposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Application ofsuch permission should be addressed to the Meetings and Publications Officer, FAORegional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Phra Athit Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand.

FAO 2002

Editorial support: Raul Boncodin, Catherine Lopez, Marcel Barang, and Belita VegaCover photo: Women farmers in the mountains of Nepal (photo courtesy: LARC)

ISBN: 971-614-018-5

For copies, contact:

Revathi Balakrishnan, Ph.D.Regional Rural Sociologist and Women in Development Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the PacificBangkok 10200, Thailand

E-mail: [email protected]: 66-2-697-4445

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CONTENTS

List of acronyms

I. Foreword – R. B. Singh 1

II. Consultation overview – Dindo M. Campilan 2

III. Welcome message – Ruben L. Villareal 4

IV. Opening message – R.B. Singh 6

V. Keynote message – Sam Mu Lee 8

VI. Overview: FAO gender and the biodiversity programme – R. Balakrishnan 11

VII. Abstracts of case papers 13

Bangladesh – PROSHIKA 13Bhutan – Renewable Natural Resources Research Center (RNR-RC) 14China – Centre for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK) 15India – M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation 16Indonesia – Indonesian Institutes of Sciences and Nippon Foundation 17Lao PDR – National Integrated Pest Management Programme 19Nepal – Resources Himalayas 20Philippines – SEAMEO-SEARCA and CIP-UPWARD 22Philippines – CIP-UPWARD 23Thailand – Northern Development Foundation 24

VIII. Synthesis of discussions 25

IX. Recommendations 33

X. Appendices 36

A List of participants 36 B Programme 40C FAO websites and resources on gender and biodiversity 42

List of acronyms

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian NationsBUCAP Biodiversity Use and Conservation in Asia ProgrammeCBIK Centre for Biodiversity and Indigenous KnowledgeCIP-UPWARD International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research

and DevelopmentFAO Food and Agriculture OrganizationGDP Gross Domestic ProductIIRR International Institute of Rural ReconstructionIPM Integrated Pest ManagementIRRI International Rice Research InstituteIPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources InstituteLao PDR Lao People’s Democratic RepublicMSSRF M.S. Swaminathan Research FoundationNARC National Agricultural Research CentreNGO Non-governmental organizationRDE Research, Development and ExtensionRNR-RC Renewable Natural Resources Research CentreSDWW Women in Development ServiceSEAMEO-SEARCA Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization – Regional Center

for Graduate Study and Research in AgricultureSEARICE Southeast Asia Regional Institute for Community EducationUPLB University of the Philippines Los BañosWCARRD World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development

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I. FOREWORD

R. B. SinghAssistant Director-General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

The Food and Agriculture Organization upholds the creed that assisting rural women to improve farmproduction can be an effective means to achieve farm productivity and national food security. Ruralwomen contribute to agriculture and food production, beginning with seed management to value additionin post-harvest processing. Hence rural women are the driving forces to achieve sustainable food security.But we are yet to recognize their critical role in one aspect of natural resource management, that ismanagement of plant diversity in the local communities.

Rural women have played a major role in conserving the indigenous variability and they possessknowledge on their variable uses. The genetic treasure needs to be conserved for today and tomorrow’suse and rural women must play a leading role in this direction. Recognizing the urgency of safeguardingthe national endowment, several countries are creating regulations and laws on genetic resources. Theroles of rural women should be clearly recognized in these regulations. Those countries that haveregulations should develop actions focused on supporting women in sustainable use and conservation ofthese resources. However, the passive approach to assisting rural women should be discouraged and anactive approach to partnership with rural women should be encouraged. Partnership with rural womenwill be a valuable collaboration for the scientists who aim to achieve the goals of sustainable naturalresource management and productive agricultural systems.

The FAO consultation on “Expert consultation on agrobiodiversity conservation and the role of ruralwomen” was organized to address these contemporary concerns with tripartite collaboration. The partnerswere FAO regional office for Asia and the Pacific, the International Potato Centre – Users’ PerspectivesWith Agricultural Research and Development (CIP-UPWARD), and SEAMEO Southeast Asian RegionalCentre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO-SEARCA). Specifically, theconsultation explored gender concerns in agrobiodiversity management in the context of local knowledgesystems and local community rights for natural resources and women’s right to these resources. Thispublication is the outcome of the consultation that had the participation of regional experts who aredirectly involved in the programmes for community-based agrobiodiversity management.

I am convinced that this publication will facilitate the achievement of FAO’s objectives in this techicalarea. These are, implemeting policy for field action to stregthen rural women’s roles in managingagrobiodiversity resource; and, fostering partnership of scientists with rural women as stewards of localbiodiversity systems and together creating an effective policy interface to guarantee women’s right tolocal resources and right to share in the benefits derived from the use of local resources.

R.B. SinghAssistant Director-General and

Regional RepresentativeFAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Bangkok, ThailandFebruary 2002

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II. CONSULTATION OVERVIEW

Dindo M. CampilanCoordinator, CIP-UPWARD

Several conferences and consultations had already been organized to tackle issues on agrobiodiversityconservation, as well as those on women’s role in agricultural development. However, this consultationwas one of the few activities so far organized that simultaneously address agrobiodiversity and genderconcerns. The limited attention given to the link between these two domains was somewhat evident in theorganizers’ difficulty in identifying potential participants with experience and interest in both.

An increasing amount of empirical evidence now points to the key role that women play inagrobiodiversity conservation. Yet there remains a need for research and development workers, togetherwith policymakers and donors, to better understand the contributions that women make asagrobiodiversity managers. Moreover, there is a need to fully examine the agro-economic andsociocultural circumstances surrounding women as they take up this role, among their multiple roleswithin rural farming households and communities.

The consultation sought to address these challenges through a bottom-up process involving a review offield-level experience and using lessons learned to guide programme planning and policy development.Case experiences from nine countries in Asia (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR,Nepal, the Philippines and Thailand) served as inputs to the discussions.

The four-day schedule was structured according to the following main sessions:a) opening programme with an overview of the consultation theme;b) presentation and discussion of case studies;c) synthesis of discussion points and issues;d) small-group sessions to formulate recommendations; ande) presentation and criticism of recommendations.

The anticipated outcome of the consultation was:a) strategies to strengthen institutional partnerships among government, research organizations,

non-governmental organizations, and communities to assist rural women in their role as localagrobiodiversity managers for food security; and

b) recommendations for research, policy and programme development to improve thecontribution and participation of rural women to conserve and improve agrobiodiversitysystems in the Asian region.

The core participants in the consultation were country experts involved in community-level projects thatsupport women’s participation in agrobiodiversity conservation. To help review and process these projectexperiences, resource persons were also invited to share their own critical perspectives.

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FAO, which initiated the idea of this consultation and funded the activity, collaborated with CIP-UPWARD and SEARCA in planning and organizing this forum. Together with the rest of theparticipants, the co-organizers had insightful deliberations on the theme, and the consultation generatedideas on how to further the goals of agrobiodiversity conservation through a strategy that would enhancewomen’s participation.

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III. WELCOME MESSAGE

Ruben L. VillarealDirector, SEAMEO-SEARCA

Dr Villareal welcomed the participants to the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study andResearch in Agriculture or SEARCA.

He stated that he was happy to be able to collaborate with FAO and CIP-UPWARD in organizing thisimportant activity. He noted that in May 2001 SEARCA worked with CIP-UPWARD in conducting aworkshop on microenterprises. He was glad to note that barely four months later, they were in partnershipagain on this worthwhile endeavour.

SEARCA is the oldest regional centre of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization(SEAMEO). SEAMEO, the mother organization, is an international treaty organization composed ofBrunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,Thailand and Viet Nam. It aims to promote regional cooperation in education, culture and science.

As a regional organization, SEARCA is committed to strengthening institutional capacity in sustainableagriculture to attain food security in Southeast Asia through human resource development, research,knowledge exchange, and policy support.

SEARCA has three research and development programmes, namely, Natural Resource Management,Agro-industrial Development and Knowledge Management. The Gender and Development project is oneof the special projects whose concerns cut across all the other programmes of SEARCA.

Moreover, as a regional organization, SEARCA’s main method of carrying out its mandate is throughpartnership with national, regional and international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental. It forms strategic alliances and partnerships as well as forward and backward linkages,which enable it to work in the context of complementation of strengths and resources. SEARCA’sworking relationship with UPWARD is a good example of such a partnership. Dr Villareal said that hebelieved that the paper presenters in this consultation would provide ample information and ideas to mullover and to use as the basis for coming up with the consultation’s expected outputs.

He further noted that no matter how many times he had heard the statistics, it never failed to impress himthat on a global scale, women produce more than half of all the food that is grown. He wondered ifstatistics would show that more than half of all the food available is eaten by men, adding that he wouldnot be surprised if that were the case.

Research has also shown that in communities where women play a major role in agriculture, the role ofagrobiodiversity conservation is likely to be equally high. It would thus be logical to suggest that tooptimize such positive effects, the role of women in agricultural development efforts should be expanded

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or at the very least given due recognition so that right at the beginning, their contributions are factoredinto programmes and considered in policies.

Dr Villareal expressed the hope that this consultation would result in relevant and pragmatic policyrecommendations, and that participants could work together to bring such recommendations closer to theconsciousness of policymakers and decisionmakers so that recommendations will cease being justrecommendations and be translated into workable policies and programmes.

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IV. OPENING MESSAGE

R. B. SinghAssistant Director-General and Regional Representative

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

In his message, Dr Singh welcomed the participants to the expert consultation on “Agrobiodiversityconservation and the role of rural women”. He welcomed the interagency collaboration with Philippines-based international organizations, namely CIP-UPWARD and SEARCA, to sustain the technicalcontributions from institutions in the region for the advancement of rural women facilitated by the FAOWomen in Development Programme.

FAO is responsible for monitoring the progress in the promises made in various UN meetings forimproving the status of rural women, and in the World Food Summit Plan of Action global agenda forachieving food security with gender equity in access to productive resources. Dr Singh urged theparticipants to bear in mind that assisting rural women to improve farm production can be an effectivemeans of achieving farm productivity and national food security.

The Asia-Pacific region is a rich biodiversity centre. However, its genetic resources as well asinformation on these are eroding fast. Women have played a major role in conserving the indigenousvariability and possess knowledge on their variable uses. The genetic treasure needs to be conserved fortoday and tomorrow’s use and women must play a leading role in this direction. Recognizing the urgencyof safeguarding the national endowment, several countries are creating regulations and laws on geneticresources. The roles of women should be clearly recognized in these regulations. Those countries thathave regulations should develop actions focused on supporting women in sustainable use andconservation of these resources.

However, the passive approach to assisting rural women should be discouraged and an active approach topartnership with rural women encouraged. Partnership with rural women will be a valuable collaborationfor scientists who aim to achieve the goals of sustainable natural resource management and productiveagricultural systems. It involves linking two knowledge systems, namely of those who manage thefarming systems and of those who aim to improve farm productivity through technological interventions.Rural women have gained knowledge of crops, plants and farming systems through observation andpractice over the years and intergenerational transfer of traditional knowledge of seeds and soils. Such anendowment of local knowledge in agrobiodiversity should be given due acknowledgment in developingscience and technology for resource sustainability and farm productivity.

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has identified gender dimensions in agrobiodiversitymanagement for food security as an important technical programme. Under this technical programmeframework, various activities have been completed in the last few years. These have resulted inpublications on gender dimensions in biodiversity in countries such as India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.Dr Singh noted that a study on similar lines for the Philippines has also been completed and a joint

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publication of FAO and CIP-UPWARD on this is expected soon. In 1999, a technical consultation wascompleted with the participation of regional researchers and the report has been made available. Dr Singhasked the participants to look at the recommendations of the 1999 report on regional networks and policyframework. As a follow up, this consultation focuses on involving rural women who are the guardians oflocal biodiversity as partners in community-based biodiversity conservation programmes with importantimplications for policy.

Dr Singh welcomed the deliberations in this consultation, being himself a scientist with a keencommitment for biodiversity conservation and for developing a policy framework for community-basedbiodiversity conservation. He added that the consultation would explore gender concerns inagrobiodiversity management in the context of local knowledge systems and local community rights fornatural resources and women’s rights to these resources.

Dr Singh proposed the following policy agenda for deliberation:• the focus should be on policy implementation for field action to strengthen rural women’s roles

in managing agrobiodiversity resources; and,• the partnership should be such that scientists work closely with rural women who share the

stewardship of local biodiversity systems and together create an effective policy interface toensure that women’s right to local resources and right to share in the benefits from the use oflocal resources are guaranteed.

He emphasized that this task could prove to be challenging. However, he was confident that as expertswho have gathered for this consultation, the participants have both the skill and will to achieve this end inclose collaboration with their respective national governments, relevant national institutions andrepresentatives of civil society organizations.

Dr Singh concluded by expressing FAO’s commitment to support the work in the region to achieve foodsecurity through equal partnership of women and men. He urged everyone to explore jointly withinstitutional partners all the means to achieve the global agenda for food security with equity. On behalfof FAO, he personally extended his appreciation to all for accepting the invitation to participate in themeeting. He thanked the organizing partners, CIP-UPWARD and SEARCA, for their cooperation inorganizing the consultation. He said that he was looking forward to FAO’s continued association with theregional institutions beyond this meeting and wished everyone to have productive deliberations andfollow-up actions that would strengthen rural women’s contribution to biodiversity conservation.

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V. KEYNOTE MESSAGE

Sang Mu LeeFAO Representative (Philippines)

On behalf of the FAO office in the Philippines, Dr Lee conveyed his compliments, support andencouragement for this important regional initiative on “Agrobiodiversity conservation and the role ofrural women”. For FAO, this consultation served as a very important reminder of the crucial role playedby women in the collective drive to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition all over the world. Hecongratulated the organizers for holding this at SEARCA.

On a personal note, Dr Lee expressed his appreciation to the organizers for holding the consultation at theUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños, a beautiful campus situated in a green and well-preservedmountainous area. He noted that this important ecosystem, which is rich in biodiversity, is continuouslybeing protected and monitored for conservation purposes at this time of rapid transformation of itssurrounding communities. He appealed to the participants to use this area as a unique model to show thatconservation is indeed possible even when there are manmade changes in its environment.

Dr Lee stressed the importance of recalling that since its establishment on 16 October 1945, FAO hasbeen playing a catalytic role that has set the stage for integrating gender issues in both agricultural policyplanning and programme implementation. This role was derived from the reality that women constitutethe majority of the world’s total agricultural labour force. It is well documented that women are involvedin traditional agricultural activities including production, harvesting, processing and marketing ofagricultural commodities. We do not want to increase the burden on women, but if they are properlymotivated, they could provide the required human resources in agrobiodiversity conservation.

Furthermore, the Peasants’ Charter, which was adopted by member-countries following theimplementation in 1979 of the World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, otherwiseknown as WCARRD, recognized the unique and important role of women in agricultural development,and he quoted:

“Agricultural development based on growth with equity will require the fullintegration of women in terms of equitable access to agricultural land, appropriatetechnology, agricultural inputs, agricultural services and equal opportunity withmen to develop and employ their full potential.”

Since then, FAO has ensured that gender concerns and women participants are integrated in all relevantFAO projects and activities. The organization aims to give women equal access to and control of land andother productive resources, increase their participation in decisionmaking and policymaking, reduce theirworkload and enhance their opportunities for paid employment and income.

Dr Lee added that the FAO Plan of Action for Women in Development (1996-2001), adopted in 1995,presents a framework for ensuring that gender issues become an integral part of the organization’s work.

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For FAO, gender is a cross-cutting issue requiring organization-wide responsibilities. For each of thetechnical areas for which FAO is responsible, programmes of action for the advancement of women havebeen developed. These programmes seek to strengthen the technical, professional and resource capacitiesof FAO to address issues of gender and to diffuse responsibility for integrating such issues among allthose working in the development arena. This will help ensure that the FAO commitment to theadvancement of women is translated into concrete achievements.

Dr Lee raised the question of how people could be expected to protect natural resources and agrobio-diversity and worry about future generations when their immediate survival is at risk. He posited that thetrue enemies of natural resource degradation, i.e. poverty and social inequality, must be seen and must beacknowledged at all levels. Management and conservation of natural resources at the national levelrepresent key areas of concern, and unless a solid policy is established and politically accepted, effortsand resources will continue to be wasted. The FAO approach to sustainable agriculture is thereforeinspired by considerations of human needs and production incentives. Natural resources are managed bypeople to safeguard their wellbeing by emphasizing the social and economic rather than technicaldimensions.

Dr Lee then proposed that sustainable development and safeguard of the natural resource base can only bepromoted through a well-defined policy framework and by facilitating legislation and institutions thatensure:

• food security by ensuring an appropriate and sustainable balance between self-sufficiency andself-reliance;

• employment and income generation to eradicate poverty in rural areas; and• natural resource conservation and environmental protection.

At the national level, an overall policy framework to promote sustainable development whilesafeguarding the natural resource base should aim to:

• create an overall economic environment conducive to growth with equity;• create an overall policy environment that enables and encourages people’s participation and

addresses gender issues;• establish an appropriate policy for human settlement;• establish a population policy such that growth should stabilize, given current knowledge of the

stock of natural resources and the technologies available to exploit them; and• induce changes in consumption patterns and lifestyles to reduce wastage and ease pressure on the

resource base and the environment.

He further mentioned that over the last three decades, the world has seen differing strategies to achievethese goals, and enhanced dialogue and awareness of the need to conserve natural resources have beendeveloped successively. During 1960-1972, there was an urgent need to raise local agriculturalproductivity in countries where it was most needed. In the 1972-1986 period, new issues related to thedegradation of the world’s resources through soil erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, overexploitationand other abuses emerged. After 1986, we have witnessed the Den Bosch Conference on Agriculture andthe Environment held on 15-19 April 1991. The Den Bosch declaration indicated the steps that needed to

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be taken to keep agricultural practices in line with sustainable production. Such steps include: (a) thealleviation of poverty; (b) the need to recognize the key role of women in development; (c) the need formore equitable land tenure arrangements; and (d) more balanced human settlement and populationpolicies.

Conservation and development are interdependent, and it is not by coincidence that the term “sustainabledevelopment” was underscored in the World Conservation Strategy of 1980. This was followed by OurCommon Future in 1987 and Caring for the Earth in 1991. To cap it all, the UNCED of 3-14 June 1992focused on conservation and management of resources for development through the adoption of Agenda21.

Dr Lee noted that the common denominators of these strategies that have been evolving over time are thecritical requirements for implementable and affordable conservation and development policies at thenational level, and the need to secure the participation of all people, not only women, through theorganizations of their local communities.

Within this broader and historical context, and within the scope of sustainable agriculture and ruraldevelopment, he assured the participants that FAO is anxious to continue to support this and similarregional efforts geared towards ecological balance and the sustainable management and development ofagrobiodiversity.

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VI. OVERVIEW: FAO GENDER AND THE BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME

GENDER DIMENSIONS IN BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT AND THE FOOD SECURITY PROGRAMME

Revathi BalakrishnanRegional Rural Sociologist and Women in Development Officer

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

The Women in Development Service (SDWW) deals, among other issues, with the inter-relationshipsbetween local knowledge systems, management of agrobiodiversity and gender. Women in DevelopmentService programme activities in the Asia-Pacific region focus on gender dimensions in agrobiodiversitymanagement and household food security. The regional initiative limits its activities to agrobiodiversitywith full recognition that agricultural production systems include livestock, forestry and aquatic elements.The focus on gender role diversity in crop biodiversity management assures a manageable entry pointtowards an understanding of such complex systems.

The current expert consultation complements the various FAO initiatives in Rome and builds on the workundertaken in the regional office in the last few years. The work began with commissioning countrystudies in South Asia. M.S. Swaminathan Research Institute scientists collaborated with the FAORegional Office for Asia and the Pacific in undertaking studies in India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Thecountry studies for Nepal and Bhutan would be finalized after completing participatory work with specificrelevance to gender dimensions in biodiversity management. These bodies of work would hopefully builda knowledge base on women and men’s roles in bioresource management and fill the current informationgap. The FAO regional office has also initiated activities to build an information base on genderdimensions in agrobiodiversity management for ASEAN countries. In the Philippines, FAO hascommissioned a study with CIP-UPWARD which would document gender dimensions in secondary cropproduction, specifically sweet potato.

In 1999, the FAO regional office in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation organized atechnical consultation on “Gender dimensions in biodiversity management and household food security”.Her Excellency the Minister for Agriculture of Bangladesh gave the keynote address and participated inmost of the sessions of the technical consultation. The report of the consultation was published andincluded recommendations and strategies for research and programme development in the area of genderdimensions in biodiversity management for household food security. The participants in the 1999 meetingwere mostly institutional researchers. The second expert consultation now being organized in thePhilippines in collaboration with CIP-UPWARD will focus on grassroots-level conservation ofagrobiodiversity with a gender role perspective. The rationale is one of exploration of grassroots-levelrealities to identify action areas for creating enabling policy conditions to support the roles of ruralwomen in agrobiodiversity conservation as an initial step in managing resources.

Within the context of the Norway-funded regional project “Gender, biodiversity and local knowledgesystems to strengthen agricultural and rural development” that is based in Rome, field activities have been

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implemented in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique. These have provided training, small grants andtechnical backstopping to raise awareness and build capacity in these countries on the use and value oflocal knowledge for food security. A curriculum/module on gender and biodiversity for an Africanagricultural programme was developed. For sustainable gains in gender development, mainstreaming thiscurricular approach would be most appropriate.

SDWW has also prepared three case studies on gender issues and management of plant genetic resources(1998). These were “Peasant women and Andean seeds”, “Women and indigenous knowledge in animalproduction in Bolivia” and “The role of women in the conservation of maize genetic resources inGuatemala”. SDWW also supported research on the gender impacts of crop diversity in Mali.

Other activities developed by SDWW include mainstreaming gender issues into the FAO work inbiodiversity by providing technical assistance to FAO technical divisions, a gender and biodiversity factsheet, and a gender and biodiversity inventory of actors and issues in Peru. The LinKS project produced avideo entitled “Sharing the knowledge”, about gender, biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. There areFAO websites that provide additional details on the work and publications of SDWW on gender andbiodiversity.

A SEAGA (Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis) guide on genetic resources is now in a draft version.The LinKS team will verify the guides and manuals that are available, evaluate and appropriatelyconsolidate these documents.

Currently, SDWW is obtaining final approval from the FAO Conference for the Gender and DevelopmentPlan of Action for 2002 to 2007. The plan differs from previous ones in the process of development.Every technical division of FAO was requested to prepare its plan for mainstreaming gender issues intheir respective technical activities. To achieve gender-equitable responsibility for gender mainstreaming,technical officers from all divisions will take appropriate action. Each technical division will have a focalperson to follow up these activities. SDWW will provide support as required, monitor and evaluate thedivisional activities and undertake training to improve the gender analysis and gender planning skills ofthe technical staff.

The programme linkages of SDWW with other technical units, both at the regional level and in Rome,will be strengthened to achieve the gender mainstreaming mandate of FAO. The field programmeactivities in the region will focus on regional projects, while Rome will take on inter-regional activities.The country offices will implement country-based projects. It is understood that the SDWW activities inthe region and in Rome will coordinate to formulate collaborative activities under the framework of theGender and Development (GAD) Plan of Action 2002-2007. With such a mode of collaboration, thedeliberations in the current meeting would feed into various normative activities within the programmearea of gender and natural resource management.

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VII. ABSTRACTS OF CASE PAPERS

RURAL WOMEN’S ROLE IN LOCAL AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN BANGLADESH:THE PROSHIKA PERSPECTIVE

Zahid HossainPROSHIKA, Bangladesh

This paper examines the role of rural women in local agrobiodiversity conservation, and its attendantneeds and problems in Bangladesh. In a country where agriculture contributes 30 percent to GDP and isthe dominant source of livelihood of a rapidly expanding population of 111 million, agrobiodiversity is animportant asset.

The loss of agrobiodiversity in Bangladesh is a complex process that is attributed to different factors,including acute poverty in rural areas and inequities in land ownership and wealth. Other causes includehigh rural-urban migration and conversion of agricultural lands to shrimp culture.

Gender inequities that hinder the country’s ability to achieve its full potential have implications onagrobiodiversity conservation. It is important to note that while Bangladesh has one of the lowest literacyrates in the world at 32.4 percent, the literacy rate among women is even lower (25.5 percent). Yet,women directly participate in many field activities such as seed production, processing and other post-harvest activities, and actively conserve agrobiodiversity as preservers and consumers. These roles,however, have remained misunderstood, unrecognized and ignored by policymakers and developmentplanners at the national level. The National Plan of Action for Women’s Advancement, for instance, hasbeen put in place to enhance the roles of women in food security and resource management. However, noeffective effort has been made towards improving women’s contributions and opportunities in localagrobiodiversity conservation.

To improve the overall situation of rural women in the country and to enhance their contribution inagrobiodiversity conservation, steps should be taken to address the constraints they face and to foster acongenial atmosphere for agrobiodiversity conservation at the local level. Such an atmosphere shouldprovide enough opportunities for women’s participation.

PROSHIKA, one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh, has been trying toconserve local agrobiodiversity through the direct participation of women at the community level insustainable crop production and diversified farming systems. It has created an Integrated MultisectoralWomen’s Development Programme, which emphasizes equal opportunities among men and women.About 62 percent of its groups are women who are involved in agricultural programmes, namely: (a)agriculture in crop; (b) homestead gardening to improve the nutritional status of marginal groups (72percent are women); and (c) vegetable seed production (2 097 females involved). Other related activitiesinclude a revolving loan fund, training, demonstration farms, 500 of which have been put up, andgovernment-supported participatory forest management.

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AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN BHUTAN

Mumta Chhetri and Nar Bahadur AdhikariRenewable Natural Resources Research Centre (RNR-RC), Bhutan

Bhutan is declared as one of the ten global “hot spots” for the conservation of biological diversity.Although women in the country play an active role in agrobiodiversity conservation, no gender-specificcase studies have been carried out in relation to biodiversity management and food security. Hence, thispaper focuses on a mini case study on gender analysis conducted by the Renewable Natural ResourcesResearch Centre (RNR-RC) and describes the agronomic context of women’s participation inagrobiodiversity conservation in Bhutan.

Bhutanese society is predominantly equitable in terms of gender. Women enjoy equity before the law andare actively involved in socioeconomic and political life. In fact, the inheritance law is favourable towomen who head most of the households. An estimated 62 percent of the women are involved inagriculture. Except for ploughing and building terraces, women do most of the production and post-production work. In addition, they are engaged in other income-generating activities such as sellingtextiles and handicrafts, and they work as hired labourers. In walled forest areas, women gather fuelwood,leaf litter and fodder for local community use.

In a farmer field school on plant genetic resources conservation, women are highly involved since theymake the final decisions on selecting the best varieties in terms of cooking quality and taste. Activitiesunder the participatory varietal selection project being implemented by RNR-RC with support from theBiodiversity Use and Conservation in Asia Programme (BUCAP) include upland rice germplasmcollection and evaluation, participatory pedigree selection of entries in F4 generation, and managementand selection of degenerated seeds.

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DOMESTICATION OF TARO COLOCASIA ESCULENTA AND ITS APPLICATION

TO IN SITU AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN YUNNAN, SOUTHWEST CHINA

Xu Jianchu and Yang YongpingCentre for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK), China

Agrobiodiversity is one of the most important resources that indigenous communities should have controlover and access to. It can be defined as the synergy and interaction among organisms, land, technologyand social organisms that serve to fulfil production goals and sustain livelihood systems. In this paper, theconservation of taro in Southwest China is described using ethnobotanical methods. The ethnobotanicalsurveys involved farmers in identifying distinct taro types and grouping them according to theirassociated knowledge and morphological classification.

The wild types of taro are mostly found in humid habitats such as swamps, waterfalls, hot springs, andriverbanks. The cultivated taro is adapted to a range of microenvironments, namely, swidden fallowfields, permanent uplands, rainfed and irrigated rice fields, and home gardens. Some of the primitivecultivars tend to have narrow ecological niches.

Farmers report that all cultivars in swidden agro-ecosystems exhibit flowering. This may be due to thehumid tropical environment and the fact that farmers maintain them in fallow fields for many years.Cultivars with edible inflorescences have high market value and hence, are increasingly grown byfarmers. The cultivation of the single corm type, for instance, is becoming popular because of its goodtaste, cooking quality and market potential. However, the germplasm of some traditional cultivars such asgouzhuayu is diminishing, as farmers commonly plant only three to five cultivars in their fields.

In general, the ethnobotanical survey found that there remains considerable interest by farmers andconsumers on different types of taro and their uses. Moreover, different cultural contexts provide differentperspectives on agrobiodiversity such as those that emphasize reciprocal relationships and the nurturingof life, which are related to culture, spirituality, humanity and nature.

A key to maintaining the diversity of taros is the ability to maintain and move distinct taro populationsacross environments and statuses. And, as genetic material has its links to culture, the introduction andexchange of new genetic materials need cultural integration. The use of wild, managed and intensivelycultivated taros as a single complex may be the best way to maintain taro diversity within Yunnan.

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ENHANCING THE ROLE OF RURAL AND TRIBAL WOMEN IN AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION:AN INDIAN CASE STUDY

R. Rengalakshmi (coordinator), G. Alagukannan, N. Anilkumar, V. Arivudai Nambi,V. Balakrishnan, K. Balasubramanian, Bibhu Prasad Mohanty, D. Dhanapal, M. Geetharani,

G. Girigan, Hemal Kavinde, Israel Oliver King, Prathiba Joy, T. Ravishankar, Saujanendra Swain,Sushanta Chaudary, P. Thamizoli, Trilochan Ray and L. Vedavalli

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), India

The rate of agrobiodiversity loss has been hastened by the combination of several economic, social,environmental and political factors in many marginal hilly ecosystems. Such ecosystems are characterizedby diversity in both space and time dimensions. The conservation of agrobiodiversity in the context ofglobal food security assumes greater importance with specific reference to women.

This study focuses on understanding gender roles, responsibilities, and access and control over resourcesof rural and tribal women in agrobiodiversity conservation in three different field sites. The study areasare the Jeypore tract of Orissa, Wayanad region of Kerala and Kolli hills of Tamil Nadu. The focus cropsare traditional rice cultivars in the former two sites and minor millet species in the third case.

The study attempted to use multidimensional approaches and strategies by creating partnerships withlocal communities in promoting women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation. These multidimensionalstrategies include:

a) creating an economic stake in conservation by establishing market linkages at local, regionaland international levels;

b) crop development through participatory productivity enhancement and breeding;c) seed supply through community seed banks;d) reducing the drudgery in post-production processes;e) recognizing and rewarding women’s contributions to conservation through documentation

and policies; and,f) institutional partnerships and building community ownership among the local people.

This paper primarily deals with gender relationships and gender-sensitive strategies in promotingconservation of agrobiodiversity through partnerships with local communities. It recommends that it isimportant to internalize agronomic and genetic needs in agricultural research for directing participatorygeneration of technologies for productivity enhancement. In addition, the creation of new market channelsand enhanced access to information to use niche markets (i.e. organic products) can facilitateconservation. Moreover, benefit-sharing methodologies need to be advanced to provide incentives forwomen conservators, as well as for local communities.

For policy recommendation, the paper highlighted the recognition of women farmers’ capacity in seedmanagement, which can be the primary step in building an integrated and effective system for the use,enhancement and conservation of on-farm crop genetic diversity.

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THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SWEET POTATO CULTIVATION:A STUDY OF THE DANI PEOPLE IN BALLIEM VALLEY, IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA

Herry YogaswaraIndonesian Institutes of Sciences and Nippon Foundation, Indonesia

The Dani are an indigenous community that dwells in the Balliem Valley of the Jayawijaya district ofIrian Jaya or West Papua, Indonesia. They maintain crops of hipere or sweet potato (Ipomea batatas, sp)as staple food and pig feed, as well as for medicinal and ritual purposes. They grow sweet potato in twokinds of ecosystems: swampy and hilly mountainous areas or upland. In swampy areas, they practise thewen hipere system, using alluvial wetlands in the valley. The system is characterized by raised beds anddrainage ditches. The upland is called yawu , with or without a terrace system. Both ecosystems havedifferent soil types, and are planted with sweet potato varieties suitable to their respective soil conditions.

This study focused on the varietal level of diversity of sweet potato, although it also explored theproduction system, uses of sweet potato, and gender division of labour. Three factors are significant insupporting sweet potato agrobiodiversity conservation, namely:

a) the intrinsic value of sweet potato to the Dani culture for ritual purposes, food and as securityin crisis situations, such as a serious calamity;

b) the existence of local, national and international development agencies, such as theInternational Potato Centre, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, local agricultural offices anduniversities; and,

c) market demand from migrants, who like to process sweet potato for business and for dailyconsumption. It encourages the production of more diverse sweet potatoes, includingtraditional or original varieties.

In many cases, change comes as a threat to agrobiodiversity conservation. However, instances of changeare viewed as inevitable due to increasing population growth, development activities and conversion oflands from sweet potato gardens to roads and buildings. Recently, farmers’ extensive adoption of wet-rice(sawah) triggered the conversion of more sweet potato gardens to sawah.

Undoubtedly, the role of Dani women in sweet potato cultivation is very significant, as well as their rolein the family and community. They take care of the children, cook, and serve in various rituals. Moreover,the Dani women are mostly responsible for planting, maintaining and harvesting sweet potato. Post-harvest management, such as selecting sweet potato for food, pig feed, and marketing are also women’swork. However, women are constrained by factors that go beyond their traditional role, especially inconservation management. Women traditionally “put themselves behind” the men. Moreover, there is notenough effort to strengthen women’s roles in the world outside their house, especially in the marketsituation.

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The study recommends a policy to improve the role of women in development programmes. It alsorecommends preparation and capacity building among the Dani women at the field level to deal with thechanging local market situation.

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WOMEN AND AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN LAO PDR

Viengsavay SengsoulivongNational Integrated Pest Management Programme, Lao PDR

This paper describes the participation of women in promoting rice diversity in Lao PDR. This is withinthe context of rapid changes in the economy and development in the country due to the introduction andadoption of improved rice varieties as well as the open market economy.

The ecosystem of Lao PDR is mostly hilly and mountainous with some fertile floodplains. It lies withinthe primary centre of origin and domestication of Asian rice varieties, particularly of glutinous rice. Infact, an estimated 80 percent of its rice area is planted with glutinous rice, the people’s staple food. Theother food crops are maize and tuber crops (taro and cassava). The Lao-IRRI project reported a collectionof 13 193 samples from all over the country representing 3 200 varieties, of which 85.5 percent areglutinous types.

The Biodiversity Use and Conservation in Asia Programme is a Lao PDR country project funded by theDevelopment Fund of Norway. The project was started in 2000. It is an institutional experiment thatbrings together extension and research institutions in active implemention and monitoring of community-based projects in cooperation with Oxfam Solidarity Belgium. BUCAP Lao PDR is designed to serve as amodel of a multi-stakeholder approach to project management. At the village level, it is a follow-upactivity of integrated pest management and builds on its methodologies by implementing farmer fieldschools to enhance farmers’ capacity to conduct learning experiments on rice.

Women play a significant role in implementing BUCAP. Aside from their participation at the villagelevel, women also run BUCAP at the provincial and national levels. To date, 67 women have been trainedby the BUCAP project for conservation, breeding and selection of local varieties. In varietal selection,aroma and good eating quality of rice are usually the preferred characteristics of women farmers whilemen prefer high yields. For women, plant height is not as important as good-yield and good-quality ricegrains.

There are many lessons on agrobiodiversity conservation and the role of women from BUCAP. SinceBUCAP’s aim is policy advocacy, it has influenced the direction of NARC by directly engaging thecentre in decentralized research on rice breeding and conservation. The full support of the Ministry ofAgriculture to the programme is an indication of the importance given by the government to plant geneticconservation and improvement. It is hoped that this commitment can be translated into more concretepolicies.

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ETHNIC COMMUNITIES AND AGROBIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS

Chanda GurungResources Himalayas, Nepal

This paper records the experiences from the project “Gender, ethnicity and agrobiodiversity managementin the Eastern Himalayas” funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The projecthad two components: (a) a research study component, which was conducted in three sites: Sikkim (India),Nagaland (Northeast India) and Sankhuwasabha (Eastern Nepal), representing three ethnic groups in thestudy, and (b) an action research component on participatory seed management conducted in threeadjoining village development committees of the Sankhuwasabha district in Eastern Nepal. The objectiveof the first component was to understand the causal links between ethnicity and gender, and how thesecomponents affect agrobiodiversity management practices. The second component aimed to enhance localcapacities for effective management of existing genetic resources through the development of cropimprovement skills.

The research found that within the context of agrobiodiversity management, gender relations are wellreflected in the practices of the ethnic groups. Men and women’s roles, knowledge and “spaces” are welldefined at all the levels of agrobiodiversity (agro-ecosystems, species and genetic levels). With theintroduction of the new technologies, dominant land use patterns emerged in the project communities thatwere associated with gender categories. Wet terraced fields were classified as a “male domain” whilehome gardens were considered as a “female domain” by the three ethnic groups. Swidden areas werecategorized differently among the three ethnic groups. Among the Lepchas, these areas are a “jointdomain” of men and women. However, among the Nagas, swidden areas are a “female domain”, whilethe Rais consider them as a “male domain”. Agroforestry is a land use which is particularly associatedwith the Lepchas. With cardamon as the main cash crop, agroforestry areas are regarded as “maledomain”.

The action research component on participatory seed management provided a strategy that supportsagrobiodiversity conservation while helping the community overcome the problem of food shortage. Theinitiative was implemented among the Rais in the Sankhuwasabha district in Eastern Nepal, a food-deficient area. The research process involved two stages: diagnostic stage and seed management stage, inwhich seed enhancement technology was introduced.

The dynamics and complexities of gender relations within households and communities came about intheir present form as a result of historical encounters and movements of people and hegemonies across theborders of the Himalayan region. These influence, and are reflected in, the systems of agrobiodiversitymanagement of the community. In such systems, women play key roles as principal custodians ofagrobiodiversity due to the responsibilities assigned to them. Traditional systems of seed management,food habits, food preferences and food preparation methods, rituals and socioeconomic significanceattached to certain crops are all factors on which crop diversity depends, and are highly related to whatwomen do and value.

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The paper puts forward the following recommendations: (a) provide institutional support to the informalnetworks of farmers; (b) ensure support of government agencies for local agrobiodiversity conservationinitiatives; (c) provide methods for adding value to women’s indigenous knowledge on increasingdiversity in crop species and varieties, and (d) set up a women’s network which will serve as the “voice”of women farmers.

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GENDER ROLES IN THE TRADITIONAL SWIDDEN-BASED PRODUCTION SYSTEM

OF THE AYANGAN OF HALIAP-PANUBTUBAN, ASIPOLO, IFUGAO

Mariliza V. Ticsay and Zenaida F. ToqueroSEAMEO-SEARCA, Philippines

The study conducted in the Cordilleras, Northern Philippines, partly aimed to identify and investigate bio-social factors influencing resource use, management and conservation of biodiversity (as measured intaxonomic diversity) using the household as the unit of analysis. Two case studies were presented toillustrate gender roles within the household on management strategies employed by Ayangan farmers toenhance biodiversity in the area.

Results of the study indicated that the cropping system in Haliap-Panubtuban is the result of farmers’perceptions of the subsistence requirements of their households, as well as of the need for some surplus tomeet other requirements including cash and offerings during cultural feasts and rituals. As the cash andmaterial needs of the households increase, modifications in the traditional resource management systemsare made to include more income-generating activities. The Ayangan’s resource bases appeared to beassociated with some well-defined gender roles. The men took charge of higher elevations, especially forthe initial opening and clearing of agricultural lands. The women, on the other hand, took care of theswidden and home gardens, especially in the aspects of planting, weeding, harvesting and processing(including cleaning, drying, seed selection and grading, storage, etc) of agricultural products.

The study outcome indicated that these gender roles and responsibilities might change through time, asinfluenced by various factors such as sociocultural adjustments, demographic changes, economic andinstitutional variables, and government policies and programmes. It can be said, therefore, that theconservation of biodiversity does not only involve species or habitat preservation, but proper resourcemanagement and use to maximize the benefits that these species provide and maintain their potential forfuture needs. In this perspective, biodiversity conservation cannot be separated from the genderdimension and human needs, and the process of sustainable development.

The paper further recommends that changes in cropping patterns and biodiversity conservation have to beassessed both from an environmental and from a gender perspective. Finally, there is a need to know howmen and women’s perceptions are changing as livelihoods are in transition (from home- to market-oriented economy) and as education and market forces are affecting people’s aspirations.

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SECONDARY CROPS FOR SECONDARY FARMERS?META-ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S ROLE IN ROOT CROP LIVELIHOOD IN THE PHILIPPINES

Dindo Campilan, Raul Boncodin, Irene Adion and Rizalina MondalaCIP-UPWARD, Philippines

The paper describes a FAO-funded UPWARD project which seeks to empirically reexamine the notion ofwomen in root crop livelihood as “secondary farmers of secondary crops”. The meta-analysis projectconsists of 10 case studies in the Philippines focusing on inter-relationships between and among root cropagriculture and genetic resources conservation, sustainable livelihood and food security, and gender rolesand householding. These are explored in this paper, and for the purpose of the workshop, through the caseof sweet potato livelihood in Central Luzon, Philippines. The case specifically analyses the sweet potatolivelihood in Central Luzon, local management of sweet potato diversity in a changing livelihood system,role of women in the local sweet potato livelihood system, and finally, some formative lessons.

In Central Luzon, sweet potato is traditionally a post-rice crop grown in lowland and mid-elevation areas.Sweet potato cultivation is part of a diverse livelihood portfolio maintained by local farming households,which includes on-farm, off-farm and non-farm activities. Cultivation, planting materials production andtrading of sweet potato are among the key livelihoods of local households. The sweet potato livelihoodsystem in Central Luzon has undergone rapid transformations resulting from changes in the agro-environment, market trends and production constraints. These changes in the livelihood system have hada key influence on the local management of sweet potato cultivar diversity. Market diversification andadaptability to natural stresses have been positive factors, while single-market dominance has been anegative factor. High susceptibility of dominant cultivars to a major disease led local households torecognize the value of sweet potato diversity.

Women play key livelihood roles among local farming households. They participate in nearly threefourths of household livelihood activities – mainly in raising animals and in sweet potato cultivation. Insweet potato livelihood, women act as managers of cultivar diversity as they are in charge of selecting andpreparing planting materials. They also participate in field planting. Women are also active learners; theycomprised nearly half of the participants in the field schools conducted, and obtained knowledge testscores that were comparable to those of their male counterparts. However, women tended to have moreerratic attendance in training sessions compared to men. This was usually due to their multiple and oftenconflicting roles in the household. Given women’s distinct roles and circumstances, gender-sensitiveresearch and development interventions are necessary so that they can contribute more effectively tosustainable livelihood and to the management of genetic resources.

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TRADITIONAL CULTIVATION AND LOCAL VARIETY MANAGEMENT:GENDER-ROLE CASE STUDIES FROM NORTHERN THAILAND

Triyada TrimankaNorthern Development Foundation, Thailand

Whilst focusing on the gender perspective, this paper discusses the issue of agrobiodiversity and naturalresource management by a local community in the highland area of Northern Thailand inhabited by theKaren, one of its ethnic groups. It examines their situation, the critical external and internal factorsinfluencing local communities in agrobiodiversity conservation and management, and gender roles inagrobiodiversity and community-based natural resource management, with particular attention towomen’s involvement.

The upper northern region in Thailand can be classified into three agro-ecological zones, namely lowland,highland and intermediate zones. The highlands are the home of several ethnic minorities that have beenmigrating to Thailand for a century. Most of these people traditionally practised swidden agriculture withrice, corn and opium as main crops. The case studies were conducted in one of the Ban Orn villageslocated in the Ping watershed area with 78 households and 422 people. Their knowledge of the traditionalagricultural system of rotational cultivation is the most important knowledge they possess. In rotationalcultivation, villagers grow rice as the main crop, integrated with maize, beans, cucumber, pumpkin,mustard green, eggplant, taro and other crops, which are associated with supplementary food from forestproducts.

Women and men have different roles in rotational cultivation. Field site selection is done by the spiritualleader, through various rituals in selecting suitable sites from secondary and primary forests. Men cut treebranches and allow the field to dry for two to three weeks, after which they burn it. Then, they makeplanting holes with a sharp stick, while women select the seeds and carry out the planting. The womenhave to take care of the field and do the weeding. Women usually do the harvesting, athough both menand women do threshing. Each village conserves around 25 local varieties of rice. With the traditionallocal varieties, the women select the best seeds from the field for the next crop planting. The kitchen isthe best place for keeping seed. Over the stove, they build shelves where seed and agricultural tools arestored. The tools are kept in the upper shelves, while the middle shelf is used for keeping seed. The seedand tools get the warmth and smoke from the stove. This helps prevent damage by molds, weevils, antsand other insects.

The paper recommends strategies to enhance women’s participation in community-based biodiversityconservation. These are: capacity building among women villagers; increased participation of women andmen in sustainable agriculture development and community-based natural resource management, both atthe community and policy levels; empowerment of women by organizing and strengthening the networkof women organizations; support for exchange of local rice varieties between and among communities;and support for women village leaders as they network with their male counterparts in other villages andparticipate in the development of state laws and policies through advocacy.

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VIII. SYNTHESIS OF DISCUSSIONS

A. The consultation process

The participants representing different institutions from seven Asian countries elected the consultation’schairperson and rapporteurs, namely Xu Jianchu (China) and Raj Rengalakshmi (Ms) (India),respectively. Selected country representatives presented case papers on agrobiodiversity conservation andthe role of women with brief discussions after each presentation.

As a prelude to the presentation of case papers, an overview of challenges and issues in agrobiodiversityconservation in Asia was presented by John Mackinnon, co-director of the ASEAN Regional Center forBiodiversity Conservation (ARCBC). Dr Mackinnon indicated that throughout the history of humancivilisation, biodiversity conservation has been an intrinsic part of systems for managing agriculture.Furthermore, increasing attention is now being given to women who are recognized to have traditionallyplayed a key role as agrobiodiversity managers.

After the series of paper presentations, the group identified emerging issues which cut across the variouscases. The group produced a thematic synthesis of the discussions through the guidance of resourcepersons, namely:

a) Wilhelmina Pelegrina, on needs and problems in community-based agrobiodiversityconservation. Ms Pelegrina is Technical Officer of the Southeast Asia Regional Institute forCommunity Education (SEARICE), an NGO based in Manila, Philippines, working oncommunity-based plant genetic resource conservation and use;

b) Gelia Castillo, on emerging approaches in community-based agrobiodiversity conservation.Dr Castillo is senior advisor of CIP-UPWARD;

c) Thelma Paris, on enhancing women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation (field-levelinterventions). Dr Paris is gender specialist at the International Rice Research Institute(IRRI), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines; and,

d) Julian Gonsalves, on enhancing women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation (policy-levelinterventions). Dr Gonsalves is also senior advisor of CIP-UPWARD, and former vice-president of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Silang, Cavite,Philippines.

Small-group discussions generated recommendations for research, policy and programme development toimprove the contribution and participation of rural women in conserving and improving agrobiodiversitysystems in the Asian region.

The synthesis and recommendations presented in this report were prepared in consultation with the otherparticipants, including the resource persons. This report was duly approved and adopted unanimously bythe participants on 13 September 2001.

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B. Synthesis of discussions

The participants emphasized the importance and appreciated the synergy between and among organisms.Agrobiodiversity conservation consists of the full range of living resources that are used by human beingsto preserve the balance between society, economy and ecology.

There are three levels of agrobiodiversity: agro-ecosystem diversity, species diversity and variety orgenetic diversity. In this broad sense, agrobiodiversity serves to fulfil production, livelihood and culturalfunctions, e.g. plant varieties are grown for rituals and festivals. Rural women are recognized as theprimary managers of agrobiodiversity due to their role in agricultural production and natural resource use.Rural women maintain local knowledge and cultural traditions associated with plants and productionsystems over generations. Their crucial roles as preservers of seed and knowledge and as processors offood make them important partners in agrobiodiversity conservation.

C. Thematic synthesis

1. Needs and problems in community-based agrobiodiversity conservation

Ms Pelegrina led the discussion summarizing the key needs and problems in community-based agrobio-diversity conservation. The various country cases presented agro-ecosystems biodiversity in different landuses such as swidden systems, home gardens, agroforestry systems, wet terrace fields and rainfed/irrigated lowlands. They also highlighted species and varietal diversity in sweet potato, rice, millet, taro,vegetables and fruit.

Obstacles to community-based agrobiodiversity conservation were identified in the context of changingproduction, market and value (i.e. changes in the human culture) systems. The transition from subsistenceto market economy and from low-input organic farming to high-input agriculture and applications ofgenetic engineering have affected people’s values, attitudes and behaviour towards conserving andmanaging natural resources. These changes caused the erosion of important local agricultural knowledgeof valuable plant and animal varieties. Based on the country cases, participants identified the followingproblems and possibilities in agrobiodiversity conservation:a. Biological aspects , which include:

• pests and diseases affecting agrobiodiversity• environmental stresses (e.g. volcanic eruptions, floods, drought)

b. Social aspects , which include:• low level of awareness and the need to build confidence• lack of appreciation for multiple uses and value of agrobiodiversity• inequitable sharing of benefits (i.e. gender and class)• changes in cultural values that may lead to genetic erosion of agrobiological resources

c. Technical aspects , which include:• research areas and programmes (i.e. what are the research priorities; priority-setting in seeking

knowledge and developing technologies)

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• biosafety, genetically modified organisms and other emerging agricultural technologiesd. Economic aspects , which include:

• markets (to include incentives and disincentives)• large-scale production and commercialization that leads to diversity loss (i.e. monocropping)• market niches for diversity (e.g. production of traditional rice varieties for the high-end market)• livelihood alternatives that promote agrobiodiversity conservation at the same time• promotion of initiatives that will provide values and incentives for agrobiodiversity conservators

(i.e. community-based biodiversity registry)e. Political aspects , which include:

• political implications of seed exchange• Institutional partnerships on agrobiodiversity conservation and use• property rights on plant genetic resources• biopiracy protection• ownership and decisions over plant genetic resources• contradicting/contradictory government policies (e.g. policy against swiddening in the uplands

and seed laws that limit diversity)• need for a venue or forum to articulate farmers’ needs

f. Other problems identified include:• conservation initiatives that do not directly address farmers’ needs• farmers’ lack of access to genetic resources• need for capacity building of local communities for seed banking; seed storage techniques; post-

harvest technologies, among others• lack of infrastructure support (especially for seed banks)• establishment of essential support systems (e.g. markets)• environmental stresses• property rights issues• use of and relevance of new technologies

2. Emerging approaches to community-based agrobiodiversity conservation

Dr Castillo led the discussion summarizing the emerging approaches to community-based agrobio-diversity conservation. According to her, community-based approaches to everything have becomefashionable. These include: health programmes, health insurance, agrarian reform, monitoring systems,minimum basic needs, information systems, fishery, disease control in livestock, coastal resourcemanagement, watershed management and other forms of natural resource management. While thesefeatures will most likely characterize countryside development in the years to come, natural resourcemanagement will be most interesting.

Community-based resource management (CBRM) involves the development of people’s institutions andtechnologies for the collective management of natural resources at the local level so that sustainablebenefits could be continuously derived from them. The key word is “community”, which is never defined,and its existence always assumed. When and how does a collection of households become a communityresponsible for managing a common resource for the continuing benefit of all including future

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generations? Traditional systems have often been romantically cited for their ability to perform thisfunction beautifully. However, because of population pressure on the resource, rural-urban migration,non-agricultural alternatives and the competition and conflict over the use and control of naturalresources, these traditional institutions are also breaking down. Technologies, whether indigenous ormodern, are indispensable in CBRM and so is social organization. They have to come together in a “goodfit” appropriate to changing local, national or global circumstances.

In most instances, the depreciation of the natural resource base is accompanied by a change in traditionalsystems of management. Quite often, new systems and new norms are called for to meet entirely newsituations even in old places; and indigenous practices take on changed meanings.

Unlike other participatory efforts, where participation could be an end in itself, the output from CBRMmust always eventually include tangible results such as more trees, more water, less erosion, more fish,less pollution, and others. Collective institutional arrangements, codes of conduct for the common good,changes in rules of governance and empowerment of stakeholders are clearly called for; but unless theselead to physical evidence, CBRM has not done its job. This must be its distinguishing characteristic,because CBRM must have an impact on the resource base that the community is supposed to manage.

Ironically, most CBRM projects are externally initiated and externally funded and the greatest challengelies in achieving the very essence of the approach – i.e. community-based. CBRM as a near-universalstrategy has become a major industry for consulting firms, NGOs, government units, internationaldevelopment agencies and other entities. Process documentation, monitoring, evaluation, impactassessment and cost-benefit analysis are essential in learning from these initiatives. At the moment, thebody of knowledge, analysis of assumptions and experience in CBRM is not yet very robust. In themeantime, faith in the approach needs to be supported by some tough thinking and lots of hard evidence.

a. Linking gender and agrobiodiversity conservation

How can we bring about gender and agrobiodiversity conservation in a community for the purpose ofenhancing the role of women in agrobiodiversity conservation? At the onset, one of the basic premises isthat the mainstream agricultural systems are market-oriented. It is with this premise that the significanceof women’s roles should be seen in the light of changing circumstances, particularly changes in swiddenand upland agricultural systems where agrobiodiversity is presumed to be more diverse.

b. Community-based approach

The case papers described traditional ecologically based, culturally grounded, well-established institutionsand systems for managing and conserving agrobiodiversity. They were community-based initiatives andnot the results of some externally initiated programmes. Some programmes, though, may have had someindirect influence on the actions of the communities. External actors (researchers, extensionists, NGOsand other entities) have contributed studies and analyses of these traditional systems to understand andlearn from them.

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c. Concepts, tools and techniques

All of the case papers described various tools, techniques, concepts and approaches to community-basedagrobiodiversity conservation or at least some understanding of it. The West Papua study, for example,used the dominant and residual cultivars surveys, transect walks, community meetings, garden beds andefforts in nurturing women leaders. Among the Ifugaos in the Philippines, it was reported that they havemany land-use systems for communal areas, private lots, swidden, rice terraces, and home gardens.Nevertheless, it was observed that among Ifugao households, cash and material needs were increasing,consequently modifying the system to include more income-generating activities. Different ecosystemshave well-defined gender and age roles that change through time, although household objectives based onneeds primarily determine the choice of crops grown. Home gardens, where crop diversity is high, seemto be the complete domain of women.

The Yunnan case highlights the link between culture and biodiversity stemming from the local people’scosmic vision, and the need to strike a balance between marketed and subsistence crops. Knowledge islinked to spirituality and also to partnership with the commercial sector. The Northern Thailand story isan interesting case of conflict between the traditional rotational cultivation and the construction of a newdam in a protected area. Government policy prohibits rotational cultivation and has declared it punishableby law. As such, women need to increase capacity to explain rotational cultivation to policymakers and torecover lost seeds.

In Bangladesh, PROSHIKA programmes on homestead gardening, on participatory forest managementwith 909 women groups as caretakers and on local contract growing for traditional vegetable seeds areillustrative of many initiatives undertaken at field level. It is encouraging to note that at the highestgovernment level in Bhutan, the green national account policy is in place.

Lao PDR has a different approach – focusing on agrobiodiversity issues in the lowlands and not in theuplands. This is primarily due to the strategic importance the local people give to glutinous rice. Farmerfield schools have proved to be a popular strategy in making farmers participate in development activities.In Eastern Nepal, participatory seed management has helped solve the local food deficit problems, whileproviding an opportunity for agrobiodiversity conservation. As the ethnic groups promoted diversity infood production, their preferences and preparation methods placed high value on biodiversity.

MSSRF has three project sites in different ecosystems, but the overall philosophy was to add value tobiodiversity products and to raise to higher levels the value of women as they play their roles inbiodiversity conservation. The foundation has many innovative institutional concepts, which it hastranslated into actual undertakings. Among these innovations are:

• finding new uses for minor millets, which are disappearing. In a manner of speaking, minormillets could become “major millets” for self-help groups of women;

• developing market linkages through niche marketing for specialized products from biodiversity;• nurturing a shared culture which values bioresource conservation through the community seed

bank, community herbarium, people biodiversity register and seed exchange;• promoting conservation entrepreneurship to enhance the economic value of biodiversity;

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• capacity building and social organization so women can acquire leadership skills, attitudes andself-confidence;

• improving access to data, information and new knowledge to increase awareness on farmers’rights; and

• developing technologies to enhance productivity, reduce drudgery and improve the economicvalue of biodiversity products.

The most vital question that this consultation sought to answer was how to enhance women’s role inagrobiodiversity conservation. The answer to this question may be in revitalizing or reengineeringtraditional systems, or in developing new systems to find viability and added value to bioresources in achanging world through:

• science and technology• new collective ethics and cultural values• biodiversity entrepreneurship• new institutional arrangements for sharing benefits from the use of biodiversity• new sets of skills, knowledge and attitudes• rights of access and control over bioresources• valuing products from agrobiodiversity• nurturing links between everyday life, spirituality and biodiversity• finding new functions for old and traditional products

3. Enhancing rural women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation: field-level interventions

Dr Paris led the discussion summarizing the main types of field-level interventions for enhancing ruralwomen’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation. It was recognized that an important challenge in theconsultation was to seek ways of balancing conservation of agrobiodiversity and local livelihood throughrural women’s empowerment and recognizing their different roles.

The various field-level interventions, e.g. research and development programmes, described in the casepapers recognized the need to support women in their role as key actors for agrobiodiversity conservationsince they are:

• managers of some livelihood components in various agro-ecosystems, e.g sweet potatoagriculture on a commercial scale in the Philippines and subsistence scale in Indonesia;

• active participants in daily decisionmaking, e.g. selecting crops and varieties in Bhutan, homegarden management in the Philippines, and processing and post-harvest activities in Bangladesh;

• food collectors and producers, e.g. swidden cultivation among ethnic minorities in NorthernThailand;

• holders of knowledge on the management of local natural resources, e.g. land use systems inEastern Nepal and taro conservation in China; and

• breeders and seed bankers, e.g. stewardship of rice cultivars and millet species in India andparticipatory plant breeding on rice in Lao PDR.

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However, their contribution to conservation is influenced by:• ethnicity, although in some tribal communities they are the guardians of local crop and plant

diversity;• changing agro-ecosystems, including emerging market opportunities or occurrence of natural

calamities;• food habits, such as the influence of western culture on traditional diets;• existing norms and values that define women’s participation in the dynamics of local society;• economic wealth, particularly in terms of women’s contribution to and access to household

income; and• informal and formal education, such as functional literacy among women and how society values

education for women.

Considering the opportunities and constraints discussed earlier, some of the field-level actions that can bepursued to enhance women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation are:

• socioeconomic research to assess how women’s roles vary across households and communities;• inventory of agrobiodiversity domains differentiated along gender lines;• a more conscientious gender analysis that goes beyond simple comparison of time allocation and

labour contribution between men and women;• documentation of indigenous knowledge differentiated by gender; and• indigenous agrobiodiversity monitoring and evaluation that will involve all stakeholders in the

community.

Most important, field-level interventions should not stop at analysis but rather become more action-oriented. Results of gender analysis need to be incorporated in designing and implementing interventionsthat involve introducing gender-responsive technological and social innovations.

4. Enhancing rural women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation: policy-level implications

Dr Gonsalves led the discussion summarizing policy-level interventions to enhance rural women’s role inagrobiodiversity conservation.

a. Agrobiodiversity conservation and management

There is a need to distinguish between agrobiodiversity management and conservation. It is recognizedthat conservation is an integral component of management. Can one achieve the conservation ofbiodiversity when basic needs are not met? In such a context, it is fundamental to address poverty andfood security issues. There is a new wave of interest in food security and nutrition. Therefore, it would beappropriate to take advantage of this renewed awareness and promote the strategy of food diversity.Integrated conservation and development frameworks are more conducive to agrobiodiversityconservation than purely environmental or agronomic approaches.

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b. Government policies and agrobiodiversity

Are government policies supportive of agrobiodiversity enrichment? Many government policies tend tocontradict agrobiodiversity conservation (e.g. policies on swidden farming or shifting cultivation and seedcertification). While legislation is important to protect farmers’ rights, it may not necessarily enhance theuse of agrobiodiversity over wider areas. There could be conflict between traditional agricultural practicesthat may promote biodiversity locally and government policies that prevent such practices.

c. Need for new research and development paradigms

There is a need for new research and development paradigms that have a livelihood orientation and thatincrease scientists’ accountability. Too often agrobiodiversity is equated primarily with crop diversity.Prevailing perspectives need to be broadened to include trees, livestock, fish and other commodities. It ispossible to simultaneously take advantage of the synergistic value of the multiple components of a singlesmall farm.

d. Ethnic groups and women

Targeting certain ecological environments (also ethnic minorities or cultural groups) as repositories forconserving agrobiodiversity such as shifting cultivation, upland and home gardens should be done.Additionally, it would be appropriate to target ethnic minorities or cultural groups as repositories of localknowledge and custodians of local biodiversity. As men increasingly depend on off-farm income, womenare expanding their role in food production. Logically, one can conclude that women will have a biggerresponsibility for conserving agrobiodiversity. Land rights of women and command over propertyenjoyed by women have a direct impact on biodiversity. Moreover, it is important to consider niche areasto take advantage of cultural roots of indigenous food preferences and rituals that offer opportunities forsaving diversity.

e. Genetic engineering, biopiracy and agrobiodiversity

The implications of genetic engineering on biodiversity offer cause for concern nowadays. Empirical datafrom developed countries suggest that contamination is a bigger concern than losses of traditionalvarieties. Biopiracy is a new and real concern affecting how civil society views efforts to shareknowledge and genetic resources.

f. Markets and incentives

A major thrust for conserving agrobiodiversity is to ensure that tangible economic benefits or subsidiesaccrue to the majority of the stakeholders by finding and establishing niche markets, organizing nichegroups and making productive niche microenvironments. It would also be appropriate to explore subsidiesfor growing traditional crops.

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IX. RECOMMENDATIONS

Agrobiodiversity conservation must build upon and strengthen the acknowledged traditional role ofwomen as conservators of knowledge and genetic resources, especially in the context of livelihooduncertainty due to rural-urban migration and greater responsibility of women in small farms. These aresuggestive of potential opportunities for supporting and strengthening the role of rural women inagrobiodiversity conservation.

A. Mechanisms for institutional partnerships

Agrobiodiversity conservation must establish institutional partnerships that work both in the field and atpolicy level.

• Local institutional commitment is vital for collaboration and coordination of activities. This willalso ensure sustainability of the programmes even when the original implementers are no longerworking in the area. Likewise, finding experts and local collaborators from the region or projectarea who can work with the people and who understand the socioeconomic and cultural contextmakes the programme implementation more effective.

• Recognize local capacity, and help train or harness skills for programme involvement. Researchand extension activities should enable and empower the stakeholders.

• Establish a link from the community to the NGOs, local governments and other institutions bybuilding the people’s negotiation and language skills, and organize forums as venues for voicingout the needs and problems of the communities.

• At the community level, people’s organizations need mediators to help source and administerfunds for agrobiodiversity activities. Counter-parting or sharing of funds and resources should beencouraged to discourage a dole-out mentality among local communities, whilst nurturing a senseof ownership of the project instead. To effectively run projects, flexibility in budgeting is needed.Donor policies should be discussed and strong advocacy for the national government’s allocationfor agrobiodiversity conservation programmes should be undertaken.

• Multisectoral partnerships are encouraged, but the terms and conditions should provide a clearpath to avoid misunderstandings. These partnerships should be forged between and amonginstitutions, NGOs, local government agencies, researchers, people or communities and scientists.

B. Research, development and extension interventions

• Recognize, reward and support the traditional agrobiodiversity conservation activities of womenand men through national legislation; evolve economic incentives for promoting agrobiodiversityconservation.

• Enhance access to local seed resources through community seed banks.

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• Chronicle the community-level agrobiodiversity by setting up registers and inventories throughpartnership with local communities, integrating gender perspectives.

• Identify alternative livelihood enterprises and technologies based on traditional knowledge andpractices for women and youth.

• Enhance women’s access to information and technology by empowering them.• Develop ethical standards for doing research and development work, especially in culturally

sensitive areas.• Support in-situ sustainable livelihood for women, as well as for the young generation.• Promote agrobiodiversity conservation through community-based education for the youth.• Enhance gender equity in terms of access to land, genetic resources and information.• Knowledge is a social construct encoded in the culture and language of each ethnic group. Hence,

research and action require a holistic approach for understanding and reinforcing the spiritual andpractical values of indigenous practices dealing with the conservation of agrobiodiversity.

• Support farmers’ networks in conducting seed fairs, knowledge and seed/planting materialexchanges and cross visits.

• Promote revival of rituals and cultural festivals that encourage agrobiodiversity conservation.• Adopt ecosystem-based R&D approaches that emphasize agrobiodiversity management of crops,

trees, fish and livestock. This is in keeping with the framework set by the Convention onBiodiversity, which encourages conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits.

• Integrate into R&D efforts the conservation and management of the rich cultural heritage anddiversity. Opportunities need to be provided especially for those in cultural regions dominated byindigenous people and ethnic minorities.

C. Policy development

• Conduct policy analysis for promoting agrobiodiversity initiatives.• Support location-specific nutrition and food diversity efforts in achieving human nutrition and

conservation promotion goals.• Establish biosafety regulations to protect agrobiodiversity from gene contamination from

genetically modified organisms.• Recognize traditional cultivars by incorporating women’s knowledge in formal seed laws.• Support grassroots-level informal institutions to institutionalize the activities.• Establish an incentive structure, i.e. reducing tax levels to promote agrobiodiversity or green

products.• Evolve gender-sensitive legislation to protect farmers’ rights in addition to breeders’ rights.

D. Networking and capacity building

• Conduct information, education and communication campaigns on biopiracy and other relatedissues for local communities, NGOs and research institutions.

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• Support networking with local institutions and conducting regular training and capacity-buildingprogrammes on agrobiodiversity conservation.

• Organize policymakers’ workshops on issues related to agrobiodiversity conservation.• Develop and pilot-test models of benefit-sharing mechanisms for traditional cultivars/farmer-

conserved and -developed varieties.

E. Comments from resource persons

The presentation of recommendations was followed by a plenary discussion during which participantsreacted to and proposed suggestions for their finalization and unanimous adoption as consultation output.Providing assistance to this process were two resource persons, namely Arma Bertuso (Ms), a specialist ingender and genetic resources conservation issues from SEARICE; and Arnold Garcia, head of the NaturalResource Management Programme of SEAMEO-SEARCA.

The following are the resource persons’ summarized comments to the group’s synthesis andrecommendations:

• The presentation is extensive and comprehensive and touches on the significant issues andproblems of agrobiodiversity conservation and the role of women.

• Farmers’ use of high-yielding varieties illustrates a good balance between agrobiodiversityconservation and food security considerations. In countries like Myanmar, addressing thepressing need to produce more food for a starving population while conserving agrobiodiversitypromotes a more sustainable development. Technologies to generate more livelihood optionsshould be provided, including infrastructure and other support services such as production loans.

• Women’s contribution to agrobiodiversity conservation must be recognized. Emphasis on genderdifferentiation and on the contribution of different age groups should not be overlooked as far ascommunity agrobiodiversity conservation efforts are concerned.

• In terms of methods in agrobiodiversity conservation, women’s roles in major and minor cropsmust be given equal focus in a situational analysis.

• Community organizing for agrobiodiversity conservation should involve households comprisedof women, men and children.

• More initiatives on women in participatory plant breeding should be carried out in allparticipating countries.

• In the conduct of research, institutional partnerships should strengthen gender responsiveness.• Researchers should not only have the skills and knowledge in agrobiodiversity conservation, but

also internalize gender concerns and be able to integrate them into their work.

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X. APPENDICES

Appendix A. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Country representatives

1. Xu Jianchu Centre for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge, Zhonghuandasha, 3rd floor, Yanjiadi, Kunming650034, Yunnan, China Tel: (86 871) 412 3519 Fax: (86 871) 412 4871 E-mail: [email protected]

2. Viengsavay SengsoulivongNational IPM Programme, Agriculture and Extension Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,Department of Agriculture, National Plant Protection Centre, Vientiane, Lao PDRTel: (86 52) 181 2130Fax: (86 52) 150 7605E-mail: [email protected]

3. Herry Yogaswara Indonesian Institutes of Sciences and Nippon Foundation, Jln. Jendral Gatot Subroto 10 Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: (62 21) 522 1687 Fax: (62 21) 520 7205 E-mail: [email protected]

4. Nar Bahadur Adhikari Renewable Natural Resources Research Centre (RNR-RC), Khangma, Trashigang DRDS, MOA, Po,Kanglung Trashigang, Bhutan Tel: (9750) 453 5122; (9750) 453 5193 Fax: (9750) 453 5132 E-mail: [email protected]

5. Triyada Trimanka Project of Gender, Empower and Knowledge Northern Development Foundation, 77/1 Moo 5 Suthep District, Maung, Chiang Mai 50200,

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Thailand Tel: (66 5) 381 0623, 381 0624 Fax: (66 1) 700 0653 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

6. Mariliza V. Ticsay Biodiversity Research Programme, Natural Resource Management Programme SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture College 4031, Laguna, Philippines Tel: (63 49 ) 536 2290 loc 407; Cell phone: (0919) 886 3029 Fax: (63 49) 536 4105 E-mail: [email protected]

7. Raj RengalakshmiM.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai – 600 113, India Tel.: (91 44) 254 1229 Fax: (91 44) 254 1319 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Resource persons

8. Thelma Paris Social Science Division, International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines Tel: (63 49) 536 2701 up to 5 E-mail: [email protected]

9. John Mackinnon ASEAN Regional Center for Biodiversity Conservation, Philippines Tel: (63 49) 536 6042 E-mail: [email protected]

10. Gelia Castillo International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives With Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila Tel: (63 49) 536 0235 Fax: (63 49) 536 1662 E-mail: [email protected]

11. Julian Gonsalves International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila

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Tel: (63 49) 536 0235 ; 046 413 2806 Fax: (63 49) 536 1662 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

12. Gil Saguiguit BRP-SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines Tel.: (63 49) 536 2290/3459 # 14713. Wilhelmina Pelegrina SEARICE, Unit 331 Eagle Court Condominium, 26 Matalino St., Diliman, Quezon City,Philippines Tel: (63 2) 433 7182 Fax: (63 2) 922 6710 E-mail: [email protected]

14. Arma Bertuso SEARICE, Unit 331 Eagle Court Condominium, 26 Matalino St., Diliman, Quezon City,Philippines Tel: (63 2) 433 7182 Fax: (63 2) 922 6710 E-mail: [email protected]

Organizing committee

15. Revathi Balakrishnan FAO Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific, 39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200 Tel: (66 2) 697 4148 Fax: (66 2) 697 4445 E-mail: [email protected]

16. Dindo Campilan International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila Tel: (63 49) 5360235 Fax: 63 49 5361662 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

17. Zenaida Toquero BRP-SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines Tel.: (63 49) 536 2290/3459 loc 147 E-mail: [email protected]

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Facilitators

18. Belita A. Vega Centre for Social Research Leyte State University, ViSCA, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines Tel: (63 53) 335 2621 Fax: (63 53) 335 2621 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

19. Raul Boncodin International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila Tel: (63 49) 536 0235 Fax: (63 49) 536 1662 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

20. Carlos Basilio International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila Tel: (63 49) 536 0235 Fax: (63 49) 536 1662 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

21. Cherry Bagalanon International Potato Center – Users’ Perspectives with Agricultural Research and Development c/o IRRI DAPO 7777, Metro Manila Tel: (63 49) 536 0235 Fax: (63 49) 536 1662 E-mail: [email protected]

Observers

22. Aphatsorn Sombunwatthanakon Davao River Conservation & Development Coordinating Committee, Room 9, SangguniangPanlunsod Bldg San Pedro St., Davao City 8000, Philippines Tel: (63 82) 222 0855 # 607

23. Martin T. ObreroCity ENROPublic Mkt Bldg, Agdao8000, Davao City, PhilippinesTel: (63 82) 227 2655, Cell phone: (0919) 232 1129

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Appendix B. PROGRAMME

Date/Ti meActivity

09 Sept. Arrival of participants

10 Sept.0830-1000 Opening programme1000-1020 Coffee break1020-1040 Formation of working groups and election of officers

Facilitator: Belita Vega1040-1220 Paper presentation and general discussion: Philippines and Indonesia

Facilitator: Belita VegaThe role of women in sweet potato conservation: a study of the Dani people in BalliemValley, Irian Jayat, IndonesiaHerry Yogaswara, Indonesian Institutes of Sciences and the Nippon FoundationGender roles in the traditional swidden-based production system of the Ayangan ofHaliap Panubtuban, Asipolo, Ifugao, PhilippinesMariliza Ticsay and Zenaida Toquero, SEAMEO-SEARCA

1220-1345 Lunch break1345-1515 Paper presentation and general discussion: China, Thailand, Bhutan and Lao PDR

Facilitator: Mariliza TicsayDomestication of taro Colocasia esculenta and its application to in-situ agrobiodiversityconservation in Yunnan, Southwest ChinaXu Jianchu, Centre for Biodiversity and Indigenous KnowledgeTraditional cultivation and local variety conservation: gender role case studies fromNorthern ThailandTriyada Trimanka, Northern Development Foundation

1515-1530 Coffee break1530-1700 Agrobiodiversity conservation and the role of women in Bhutan: an overview

Nar Bahadur Adhikari, Khangma Research CentreWomen and agrobiodiversity conservation in Lao PDRViengsavay Sengsoulivong, National IPM Programme

1900-2100 Welcome dinner

11 Sept.0830-1000 Paper presentation and general discussion: Bangladesh, Nepal, India and UPWARD

Facilitator: Carlos BasilioRural women’s role in local agrobiodiversity conservation in Bangladesh: thePROSHIKA perspectiveZahid Hossain, PROSHIKAEthnic communities and agrobiodiversity conservation in the Eastern HimalayasChanda Gurung, Resources Himalaya

1000-1015 Coffee break1015-1145 Role of rural and tribal women in agrobiodiversity conservation: a case study

R. Rengalakshmi, MS Swaminathan Research FoundationSecondary crops for secondary farmers? Meta-analysis of women's role in rootcroplivelihood in the PhilippinesDindo Campilan, CIP-UPWARD

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1145-1330 Lunch break1330-1500 Thematic synthesis and discussion

Needs and problems in community-based agrobiodiversity conservationWilhelmina Pelegrina, SEARICEEmerging approaches in community-based agrobiodiversity conservationGelia Castillo, CIP-UPWARD

1500-1515 Coffee break1515-1645 Enhancing women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation: field-level interventions

Thelma Paris, IRRIEnhancing women’s role in agrobiodiversity conservation: policy-level interventionsJulian Gonsalves, CIP-UPWARD

12 Sept.0830-1200 Small-group discussion on gender-responsive R&D agenda and policy support for

community-based agrobiodiversity conservationFacilitator: Dindo Campilan

1200-1330 Lunch break1330-1530 Presentation of the workshop output

Group rapporteurs1530-1545 Coffee break1545-1645 Preparation of the working group report

Facilitator: Belita Vega

13 Sept.0830-1200 Closing programme

Facilitator: Raul BoncodinPresentation of the working group reportChairperson of the working groupResponse from panel of resource personsTeresita Borromeo, UPLBArma Bertuso, SEARICEJocelyn de Leon, DENR-PAWBGil Saguiguit, SEARCADistribution of certificatesImpression from participants and resource personsClosing remarksRevathi Balakrishnan, FAO-RAP

1200-1330 Lunch break1330-1600 Participants: Visit to the Los Baños science community

Facilitator: Cherry BagalanonSteering committee: Post-workshop meetingFacilitator: Dindo Campilan

14 Sept. Departure of participants

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Appendix C. FAO WEBSITES AND RESOURCES ON GENDER AND BIODIVERSITY

• http://www.fao.org/sd/nrm/nrmresrch.htm Gender and natural resources homepage• http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0255E/X0255E00.htm Farmers’ rights in the conservation and use of

plant genetic resources: a gender perspective, Bunning & Hill – 1996 (A similar article can befound at http://www.fao.org/sd/wpdirect/wpan0006.htm – Women and farmers’ rights: farmers’rights in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources: who are the farmers? – Bunning &Hill, 1996)

• http://www.fao.org/sd/nrm/nrmipgfao.htm Case study series on gender and plant genetic resourcemanagement – IPGRI – FAO collaboration

• http://www.fao.org/sd/nrm/nrmasia.htm Case study series on gender and biodiversity managementin Asia

• http://www.fao.org/sd/nrm/Women%20-%20Users.pdf - Fact sheet on Women – Users, preserversand managers of agrobiodiversity (pdf file 182K)

• http://www.fao.org/sd/nrm/nrmipgfao.htm: IPGRI – FAO collaboration• http://www.fao.org/sd/links/gebio.htm: LinKS project homepage• http://www.fao.org/sd/2001/PE0601a_en.htm: Fact sheet on women’s access to land