Peasant Farming Systems, Agricultural Modernization, and the Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources in Latin America

Abstract

This chapter focuses on traditional Latin American agroecosystems that constitute major in situ repositories of crop genetic diversity, from which native germplasm can renew and go on to expand the genetic resources of both developed countries and native farms. This diversity is decreasing in peasant farming systems as a result of agricultural modernization and environmental degradation. The role played by peasants in maintaining genetic diversity is discussed, as well as the need for research to establish rates and causes of genetic erosion. The authors also propose that multi-disciplinary teams, working under ethnoecological and agroecological principles, be set up to integrate local farmers' knowledge with Western crop genetic conservation strategies.