Evaluating participatory plant breeding programs in Canada and their effectiveness as a strategy for climate change adaptation

Participatory plant breeding (PPB), which pairs farmers’ knowledge with the skills of formal plant breeders, is increasingly being recognized as an effective approach to develop better varieties for organic farming systems because it uses the environmental conditions of working organic farms as selection environments and incorporates farmers’ needs and observations in the selection criteria. PPB has been beneficial already in many developing nations to improve farmers’ capacity to adapt to stressful conditions, as well as build farmers’ sovereignty over their enterprise. As these benefits of PPB are becoming increasingly realized in the developed nations in Europe and North America, this project will investigate the integration of this unique crop breeding model in a Canadian context. Partnering with SeedChange, this project will interview farmers directly involved in PPB programs across Canada to gain an understanding of the regional challenges that organic farmers face when breeding for successful varieties. The research will ask how this approach can produce conditions better suited to adapt agriculture to the impacts of climate change.

Faculty Supervisor:

Patricia Ballamingie;Peter Andree

Student:

Partner:

SeedChange

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Carleton University

Program: