This article was originally published on Grassrootsjournals.org
VOLUME 02, ISSUE 01 (JUNE 2022)
Yanyan Zhang, Xin Song, Yiching Song
ABSTRACT
Maintaining farmer’s seed systems is important to secure the adaptive capacity both ecologically and socially for global food systems, and to secure genetic diversity. In a mountain village of southwest China, a Participatory Action Research Team has carried out action research for more than 20 years to support women's participation in participatory breeding and to enhance the farmers’ seed system. In this case study, the team assisted women in the conservation of local varieties and establishment of community seed banks to enhance farmers’ seed systems. The women-led agricultural cooperatives promoted the economic development of the community and improved the sustainability of farmers’ seed system through eco-circular agriculture and the community supported agriculture (CSA) model. In this participatory process, the empowerment of women improved women's comprehensive ability and provided the guarantee of human resources for enhancing farmers' seed system. Multi-stakeholder processes also extended important support to this model work.
Keywords: Seed bank; Farmers’ network; Participatory action; Community agriculture
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About Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology
The objective of our journal Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology is to explore variety of concepts, practices and implications in emerging scientific fields within combined and integrated domain of Agrobiodiversity (or Agricultural Biodiversity) and Agroecology. This journal aims at creating an opportunity for presenting different research from all parts of the world that facilitate the dialogue across different disciplines and various actors for capitalizing on different kind of knowledges. This journal is inclusive by giving the opportunity to: (i) researcher from the South to publish in a journal without any fees for the open-access, and (ii) farmers' organizations and NGOs to be represented as co-authors with researchers for presenting together their viewpoints on the research.