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Summary and background of the project (English version)

Summary

Give back crop diversity to farmers! Scientists have long been collecting traditional varieties and transferring them to ex situ collections. It is time to return this genetic resource to farmers. The lethal yellowing disease (LYD), active in Ghana, has recently spread to coconut plantations in Grand Lahou. Currently, all traditional coconut varieties are sensitive. Ivorian farmers are deprived to select tolerant material. The International Coconut Collection for Africa and the Indian Ocean, managed by CNRA, is one of the richest in the world. Although currently completely free from LYD, the collection is highly threatened by various factors. The main objective of this project is to evaluate different models of micro-distribution of coconut seeds. A thousand beneficiaries will receive seednuts or seedlings lots, documentation and training. Coconut seednuts will be produced from the entire collection and from best crosses created for improvement in the breeding programme. Thanks to the seednuts and skills acquired during the project, it is expected that farmers will use and breed new varieties that will be able to tolerate the disease and meet their requirements; it is also expected that this micro-distribution will lead farmers to interact more and buy more improved hybrids from CNRA. These dynamics will be scientifically evaluated through field surveys and gender-based studies. The second objective of the project is to increase significantly the level of diversity of coconut palms in the farmer's fields of Côte d'Ivoire. This innovative mode of management of diversity will place Côte d'Ivoire in a leading position: in addition to the scientific interest of this project, restoring the whole of an international collection to the farmers constitutes a world first which should arouse media interest.

Technical description of the project: Background
Currently, the coconut sector in Côte d'Ivoire is far from optimal; there is a significant coconut deficit, prices are rising and processors and exporters are not able to find enough products for their business. Throughout the world, coconut and virgin oil markets are exploding, but Côte d'Ivoire remains essentially outside of this dynamic. Coconut plantations are aging and threatened by lethal yellowing disease. The coconut planters themselves are old enough, and the involvement of the the new generation remains for the moment insufficient.

Article 9 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources emphasizes the huge contribution of indigenous communities and farmers to the conservation and development of these resources. This article encourages the protection and promotion of farmers' rights, including: protection of traditional knowledge; the right to participate equitably in the sharing of benefits arising from the use of plant genetic resources; and the right to participate in decision-making on matters relating to the conservation and use of these resources.

In Western countries, many organizations complain about the current ex situ conservation system. For example, the Ong "Grains" states:

"If governments were truly interested in biodiversity conservation for food and agriculture (... / ...), they should, as a central priority, focus on supporting diversity in farms and markets of their countries rather than betting only on large centralized collections. This means leaving seeds in the hands of local farmers, with their active and innovative agricultural practices, respecting and promoting the rights of communities to conserve, produce, grow, exchange and sell seeds "

Onc ETC also writes:

"Many ex situ collections are in desperate situations, and at least half of the genetic diversity of crops is kept only in the fields of farmers protected only by the family and the community (... / ...). The Treaty should pay particular attention to the issue of in situ conservation and the urgent need for a financial mechanism to support such conservation ".

There is no doubt that these disputes, which are already very present in the western countries, will extend greatly to the developing country; they are increasingly being taken into account by major international institutions. The second global plan of action for plant genetic resources for food and agriculture was adopted by the FAO Council at its 143rd session in 2011. One of the objectives mentioned is to improve the use and the management of plant genetic resources in collections. The plan evokes and recommends the direct use of greater genetic diversity by farmers.

The InnoDiv project will evaluate different models of micro-distribution of coconut seednuts and seedlings. A thousand beneficiaries will each receive planting material, documentation, training in planting techniques and information on breeding techniques.