Australia
November 26, 2010

Australian breeders are working alongside colleagues from conflict-affected and developing countries in an effort to better involve farmers in the development of new crop varieties for marginal lands that are found in many parts of the developing world, as well as Australia.

More than 22 plant breeders from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, East Timor, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal and Tanzania are in Perth for a two week Master Class in Collaborative Breeding. They will learn how to include farmers in research to help breed crops for adverse environmental conditions and poor soils often found in conflict affected countries like Afghanistan, East Timor, Ethiopia, Iran and Nepal.

“The focus for much of the world’s and Australia’s crop breeding is for lands that are fertile or where farmers can afford inputs such as fertilizers and irrigation. Collaborative breeding is a relatively new approach to crop breeding to ensure the research is relevant to poor conditions and to farmers’ needs,” explained Prof. William Erskine, Director of the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) at the University of Western Australia.

“The trick is to involve the farmers in deciding on the traits needed and then testing them on-farm under their own conditions.”

Professor Erskine has organised the Master Class with support from the Crawford Fund which promotes and supports agricultural research designed to benefit the developing world. Other sponsors included the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Grains Research and Development Corporation, the International Centre for Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER) and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

“The crops developed from collaborative breeding are known to be effective because participating farmers enthusiastically test, adopt and share them with neighboring farmers, providing the great advantage of hastening the uptake of the new genetic material in marginal areas.”

“We will be providing trainees with skills on engaging farmers and using the new statistical techniques for the improved analysis of on-farm varietal trials,” he said.

While field trips are involved, much of the training is being done at ICPBER. The Master Class was opened on 22 November by the Hon. Terry Redman WA Minister of Agriculture and Food.
The breeders are working on a huge spectrum of crops including wheat, rubber, maize, pulses, barley, cassava, peanuts, almonds, canola and rice. Presenters came from Syria, Bangladesh, South Africa and Australia.

"The Crawford Fund is particularly pleased that this master class is being held in Australia so that a group of experienced and practicing Australian plant breeders can benefit and join colleagues from developing countries,” said Dr Eric Craswell, Crawford Fund Director of Training.
 

Website: http://www.crawfordfund.org/

Published: November 26, 2010