The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), P.O. Box 5466 Aleppo, Syria. Email: s.ceccarelli@cgiar.org; s.grando@cgiar.org

Abstract

Plant breeding is usually criticized on three grounds: its lower effectiveness in marginal environments (compared to favourable environments), the time needed to develop a variety and, particularly in developing countries the staggering difference between the number of variety released and the number actually adopted by the farmers. Participatory plant breeding (PPB) has been proposed as way to address the three problems by using the basic principle that selection is conducted by farmers in their own fields using their own agronomic practices. The typologies of PPB vary greatly in terms of breeding methodology and in terms of relationships between breeders and scientists. However different, PPB programs aim at developing varieties that fit not only a number of specific physical environments but also farmer's preferences and needs.

Participatory plant breeding turns upside down the delivery phase of a plant breeding program: in a conventional breeding program, the most promising lines are released as varieties, the certified seed is produced and only then farmers decide whether to adopt them or not. In a participatory program the process is driven by the adoption which takes place during the final stages of selection, and therefore adoption rates are higher, and risks are minimized. Last but not least, the investment in seed production is nearly always paid off by farmers' adoption. These advantages are particularly relevant to developing countries where large investments in plant breeding have not resulted in production increases, especially in marginal environments.

There are currently more than 80 programs worldwide using PPB in a number of different countries and crops (http://www.prgaprogram.org). ICARDA is currently using PPB in Syria, Jordan, Eritrea and Egypt on barley, durum wheat, bread wheat, lentil and chickpea.