Genetic Resources Conservation – Participation of Farmers and Germplasm Collectors towards Sustainable Crop Improvement.

The germplasm requirements of the small farmers, especially in marginal or hilly environments, have not been met to a large extent by the international agricultural research centers (IARCs) and other formal national plant breeding efforts. To address this lacuna in the agricultural systems of the developing countries a participatory approach has been tried with success and should continue. The participatory approach has other benefits also, such as it helps the small farmers, who were not able to benefit from the green revolution, maintain landrace diversity in situ and thereby keeping their local germplasm more adaptable to climate change and other resource challenges of the future.