Melinda Smale

Based on twenty years of global research, this is the first comprehensive reference on crop genetic diversity as it is maintained on farmland around the world. Showcasing the findings of seven experts representing the fields of ecology, crop breeding, genetics, anthropology, economics, and policy, this invaluable resource places farmer-managed crop biodiversity squarely in the center of the science needed to feed the world and restore health to our productive landscapes. It will prove to be an essential tool in the training of agricultural and environmental scientists seeking the solutions necessary to ensure healthy, resilient ecosystems for future generations.

Farmers, Gene Banks and Crop Breeding: Economic Analyses of Diversity in Wheat, Maize, and Rice responds to concerns about the loss of valuable genetic resources and crop vulnerability arising from widespread cultivation of genetically uniform varieties. It assembles a series of applied studies focusing on the fundamental economic issues related to genetic diversity in crop species, with special reference to developing countries. By presenting the results of initial economic investigations of diversity in the world's three major food crops (wheat, maize, and rice), this volume furthers the understanding of the economic context in which crop breeders make use of genetic resources and their diversity. Farmers, Gene Banks and Crop Breeding: Economic Analyses of Diversity in Wheat, Maize, and Rice responds to current concerns about the loss of valuable genetic resources and crop vulnerability arising from the widespread cultivation of genetically uniform varieties. Previous work by economists in the study of biodiversity has been largely theoretical and has emphasized species diversity. In contrast, this book offers concrete steps in methods and conceptual development, providing an annotated catalog of the tools used to measure and value genetic diversity. The book will appeal to international agricultural research institutions, to international development organizations and NGOs, and to students and professors in departments of agricultural and resource economics who are concerned with the problem of biodiversity.