Securing the genetic resource base of Indigenous plants species: A Community Biodiversity Conservation Initiative
We have developed a manual which can help smallholder women farmers replicate the solutions in the South West of Nigeria. At the national level, collaborating with policy makers to include indigenous food plants as key components of in the School feeding programs as well as the Anchor borrowers programme for micro-credits. Our Seed bank Open day programmes provide avenues for exchange and display of seed diversity as well as a model for local seed bank scale up to a national project for the conservation of a larger number of wild crop relatives in Nigeria. We are currently advocating at the National legislature to provide legislative laws on the inclusion of Indigenous food plants to the Nigerian Food policy programme. These initiatives when pulled together will contribute significantly to indigenous Plant Species Conservation.
With limited access to land, women are still custodians of Biodiversity with Knowledge to bolster food security. 65% of the participating community members were women. 53% ages 40-65, 47% ages 18-39. Women participation was supported by their husbands. This saw more women take decision on dietary requirements for their families and strong participatory roles in management and benefits sharing.
Households created small/medium-sized enterprises for steady economic growth which put less pressure to their surrounding forest. As a result of less pressure on the forest for livelihood, new revenue streams are up and running. Local base ecosystems have facilitated growth not only within the Forest Community but beyond, creating opportunities for decent work. Achieving social inclusion was to emphasize “local ownership”. Setting up spaces for dialogue that allowed for the active and inclusive participation of local people ensured that priorities were determined locally and that local concerns were at the core of all activities.
Securing the genetic resource base of Indigenous plants species: A Community Biodiversity Conservation Initiative
Securing the genetic resource base of Indigenous plants species: A Community Biodiversity Conservation Initiative
Restoration of Chilghoza forest ecosystem in Suleman range, Balochistan province, Pakistan
Participative dispute management
Out of several other potential solutions, the one that really worked was embedded deep in the community norms and culture. In order to solve longstanding communal conflicts that hindered the restoration of land and protection of the Chilgoza forest ecosystem, the programme seek consultation and advice from representatives and heads of the involved communities. Starting with a smaller group of forest owner families in conflict over an abandoned piece of communal agricultural land, the programme was able to set an successful example for a dispute settlement approach in the region that enabled further landscape restoration activities.
Trust of local community, participation of community leaders and government support.
The programmes facilitation to use local knowledge for identification of a solution supporting their culture and norms was crucial.
Open-grazing and over-cutting in dryland areas reduces vegetative cover, making them prone to erosion and causing downstream flooding.
DryDev introduced FMNR as a low-cost community-led approach that build consensus on how to manage and govern open-grazing areas through local by-laws (including fines for non-compliance). FMNR uses selective pruning to assist recovering trees and stumps. In denuded areas where root stocks are not present, enrichment planting was undertaken to maximize vegetative cover in the protected areas.
Physical structures were also used, such as terraces, trenches, half-moons, check-dams and gully reclamation structures.
Biological and physical structures in open grazing areas (now protected) led to rapid vegetative recovery, recovery of springs and the rise of groundwater. Smallholders improved their water access for household needs, for small crops and fruit trees, and for animals.
Community visioning was needed to remind the community what the landscape once looked like, and to imagine the restored state.
Testing new ideas, such as FMNR, in small plots was useful to members who were unsure of the benefits. Bringing farmers to existing FMNR sites and to talk with other farmers convinced them of the benefits. Bringing government on board also assisted with uptake.
Water harvesting proved to assist greatly with the speed of vegetative recovery.
Solutions like FMNR are low-cost, scalable and replicable with spontaneous adoption observed in neighbouring sub-watersheds.
