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Abstract
This paper presents an empirical case study about farmer management of rice
genetic resources in two communities of Nepal, drawing on interdisciplinary,
participatory research that involved farmers, rice geneticists, and social scientists. The
decision-making process of farm households is modelled and estimated in order to
provide information for the design of community-based conservation programs. A
bivariate model with sample selection treats the simultaneous process of whether farmers
decide to plant landraces or modern varieties, and whether the landraces they choose to
plant constitute genetic diversity of interest for future crop improvement. Findings show
that the two landrace choices are affected by different social and economic factors. The
estimation procedure demonstrates that in certain cases, however, the decision processes
are interrelated. Policies to promote the conservation of local rice diversity will need to
take both processes into account. Fitted equations are then used to compare the likelihood
that households targeted for conservation according to one set of conservation criteria
also meet other conservation criteria. Households most likely to plant landraces identified
as important for crop improvement also grow richer, more spatially diverse rice varieties.
In these communities, few policy trade-offs would result from employing one set of
criteria instead of the other.