Genes in the field: on-farm conservation of crop diversity

Abstract

A primary goal of agricultural research is to develop technology that will enable the world's farmers to produce enough food in a manner that is sustainable and economically viable.Agricultural scientists have long acknowledged their debt to farmers in the joint enterprise of developing new technology.This debt extends not only to our contemporaries but also to past generations.The concept of in situ conservation is partly an effort by the scientific community to honor its debt to the legacy of farming peoples who created the biological basis of crop production.So, the first acknowledgment of this book is to the farmers who shared their time, resources, and knowledge with the authors of these chapters.It is hoped that their generosity and skills are fairly reflected.The support of the International Development Research Centre of Canada has been crucial in bringing this book to fruition.It is hoped that this book appropriately reflects the IDRC's foresight