Gardens of biodiversity: Conservation of genetic resources and their use in traditional food production systems by small farmers of the Southern Caucasus

Abstract

This book describes how farmers and rural people in the southern caucasus maintain biodiversity and apply the ecosystem approach in their daily lives and agricultural practices. These practices contribute to their food security and livelihoods while also maintaining local genetic resources.

This book does not claim to offer a definitive prescription for sustainable agriculture and is not an exhaustive study. It puts forth a collection of concrete examples showing how genetic resources are maintained and used by small farmers for food security in the Southern Caucasus. These examples show that the livelihoods and prospects of rural people can be improved and consolidated in a sustainable manner to face important environmental, social and economic challenges without sacrificing the prosperity of future generations. The book would like to stimulate further debate, research and policies in the hope that bridges can be built between the sustainable use of biodiversity and genetic resources, traditional practices and ways of life, and the new technologies, demands and challenges of today’s society.