Seeds of Life : Women and Agricultural Biodiversity in Africa
One of the down-sides of worldwide agricultural development, has been the replacement of native plant species by marketable crops, accompanied by a reduction in the diversity of the seed stock. This accounts for the disappearance of plants with pot...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2000/08/1671233/seeds-life-women-agricultural-biodiversity-africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10815 |
| Summary: | One of the down-sides of worldwide
agricultural development, has been the replacement of native
plant species by marketable crops, accompanied by a
reduction in the diversity of the seed stock. This accounts
for the disappearance of plants with potential medicinal
uses, particularly in high biodiversity areas, and, the
crowding out of native diversity of edible species by
standard, sometimes genetically altered by commercial
farming demands, is an equally serious problem. Indigenous
knowledge of edible plants is one key "pool" of
biodiversity in Africa - one in which women play a vital
role. The note looks at bean farming in Kenya, where
evidence shows that in pre-colonial times a large variety of
bean species was cultivated, which constituted a critical
element of rural people's diet, and a rich source of
protein. Traditionally, women grew, and conserved multiple
seed stocks, as a hedge against disease, and unpredictable
climate changes. However, the colonial agricultural
extension service eliminated multi-cropping - a phenomenon
that brought negative consequences for nutrition,
biodiversity, and soil fertility. This case unfortunately
was not an isolated one, though fortunately efforts to
coordinate a participatory research program on gender roles
in agriculture, and plant breeding are underway, headed by
the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). |
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