(S&T Review) Vol 6-2024-41-47

Journal: i TECH MAG (S&T Review)
Author: Anjali Thapa, Anusha Ghimire, Prabina Bhandari, Srijana Saud, Sunil Ojha, Sanju Aryal
DOI: 10.26480/itechmag.06.2024.41.47

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Grassroots breeding, as a transformative method of empowering local communities, addresses the urgent need for sustainable agriculture by increasing farmers’ access to underutilized plant species, promoting local innovation, and strengthening genetic resource management knowledge, thereby contributing to the efficient use of agricultural biodiversity for global food security. In addition to highlighting the significance of farmers’ involvement in grassroots breeding initiatives and their knowledge of agricultural biodiversity, the passage highlights the importance of overcoming obstacles through community seed banks, low-cost technologies, and teamwork in order to achieve effective conservation and sustainable development. It is critical to build local competence in grassroots breeding, which includes the incorporation of local knowledge, biodiversity preservation, empowerment, participation, sustainability, cultural relevance, and adaptability to the local environment encouraging the growth of agriculture in a sustainable and community-driven manner. While the call for collaborative efforts in sustainable agriculture emphasizes diverse approaches, such as agro ecology, organic farming, precision agriculture, and perennial crops, underscoring the need for collective action in achieving a balanced and sustainable future in agriculture, grassroots breeding is an instant solution for neglected species, empowering communities to manage indigenous varieties and enhance agricultural diversity. Early in the new millennium, a number of community-based, involved strategies had been developed to support local crop varieties being managed on farms. These strategies emphasized documentation, increasing market-based incentives, raising awareness, enhancing local crop performance, and diversifying niche production systems. Furthermore, it has been discovered that identifying and assisting custodian farmers who consistently cultivate, pick, preserve, and distribute seeds and planting materials is beneficial for the on-farm preservation of regionally uncommon crop types in the production setting. In the same way, community seed banks and participatory plant breeding have proven to be the most practical and effective methods for directly benefiting local communities, empowering them, and fostering collective action all of which are essential for ensuring community participation.