Risk alleviation via in situ agrobiodiversity conservation: drawing from experiences in Switzerland, Turkey and Nepal

The unification of societies is increasing social and ecological risks, nowhere more so than within agro-ecological systems. Opportunities for conserving agrobiodiversity in situ could offer solutions to these concerns within regions marginal for agricultural production. Key stakeholders in the process of on-farm conservation in Switzerland, Turkey and Nepal were interviewed to gather their perceptions of the methods that could be applied for diversity conservation in the margins. It is argued that the appropriate application of in situ conservation approaches offer opportunities for sustaining diversity, particularly where productivity increases are likely to have minimal impacts on the profitability of agricultural activities. A human ecology paradigm, alternative to the dominant neo-classical approach, could focus primarily on issues of socio-ecological sustainability by ensuring that development supports local diversity. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.