On-farm conservation of crop genetic diversity: examining farmers’ and breeders’ choice of rice varieties in Nepal

On-farm diversity is the outcome of farmers’ choices to select, modify and maintain diversity. Plant breeders also influence diversity by influencing farmers’ choices through the supply of new genetic materials and by making them available to farmers. This study aims to link variety choices of farmers’ and plant breeders by combining revealed preferences of farmers and stated preferences of plant breeders. A household decision-making model is conceptualized using microeconomic theory and is then tested econometrically to relate farmers’ preferences with that of plant breeders, which may be influenced by public investments and policies. Efforts are made to identify landraces of interest to both farmers (private value) and society (public value) including key factors determining maintenance of these landraces. The findings show that the cultivation of landraces of high private value as revealed by farmers’ perception and those of high social (public) value identified according to breeders’ criteria of diversity, rarity and adaptability are high in the hill ecosite of Kaski. The factors that are significant in determining diversity on-farm are livestock assets, subsistence ratio, land types, literacy level of consumption decision-makers, percent irrigated land, external income and landraces sold. The statistical signs and the direction of effects are consistent in explaining genetic materials targeted for conservation, although the magnitude of effect differs. Households with more active adults engaged in agriculture and those with more heterogeneous farms and isolated from markets are more likely to maintain socially valued landraces. Finally, issues are raised on the development goals, incentives and equity implications of the findings for designing a least-cost sustainable on-farm conservation strategy.