An informal network in south Asia: the impact of new rice varieties in Nepal and Bangladesh developed using client-oriented breeding.

摘要

Results are presented of participatory crop improvement programmes in Nepal and Bangladesh. Farmers in Nepal were given a choice of pre-existing rice cultivars to test for themselves in a process called participatory varietal selection. Later, new cultivars were bred in Nepal using pioneering plant breeding approaches that were a radical departure from conventional methods. These changes included participatory approaches to identify client needs, and breeding methods designed to produce products tailored to meet those needs. The cultivars from this highly client-oriented breeding programme were widely disseminated in Nepal through a wide network of NGO and GO partners. There were then tested in Bangladesh where the beginnings of a similar network have been established..