The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) has published a new guide to help trainers offer courses on participatory plant breeding (PPB) for organic cotton farmers. The ‘Manual for Participatory On-Farm Breeding of Cotton’ aims to help trainers run instructional and practical training courses in their communities and on their focus areas. The guide is primarily based on the experience of FiBL staff from 10 years of implementing PPB of organic cotton – and on related farmers’ workshops – in the Green Cotton and Seeding the Green Future projects.
It also features insights from FiBL master students exploring participatory methodologies and the fast-growing source of relevant scientific literature, as well as experiences gained in collaboration with smallholders, researchers, breeders and value chain partners.
FiBL’s theme leader for resilient cropping systems, Amritbir Riar, said: “We have developed this manual to foster capacity development in both trainers and farmers.
“Trainers will teach farmers, and through this support and education, farmers will learn new techniques and improve their practices of participatory plant breeding. We are proud that the manual’s core strength is that it blends complexity with flexibility, so it can be adapted and used in different contexts.”
Organic Cotton Accelerator Programme Officer, Mathilde Tournebize, commented: “We are thrilled to see FiBL’s technical experience in participatory cotton breeding and cultivar evaluation of the past decade translated into a manual of best practices.”
The workshops and trainings outlined in the breeding manual are not just limited to cotton, and can be followed by any institution, small group or an individual working on PPB.
FiBL hopes that this, coupled with the potential to translate the manual into different languages, will maximise its widespread adoption by different audiences.
The 84-page manual was produced with the support of Mercator Foundation Switzerland, the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) and The Giving Circle of Amsterdam Foundation. It’s available for free download at shop.fibl.org, where print copies can be also be ordered.
