Approches

Experimental Farm Network for collaborative plant breeding and sustainable agriculture research. [Etats-Unis]

Création : 9 nov. 2018 22:36
Mise à jour : 20 nov. 2018 23:10
Compilateur : Stefan Graf
Rédacteur : –
Examinateur : Alexandra Gavilano

approaches_4199 - Etats-Unis

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1. Informations générales

2. Description de l'Approche de GDT

2.1 Courte description de l'Approche

The Experimental Farm Network is an online platform facilitating collaborative plant breeding as well as other sustainable agricultural research.

2.2 Description détaillée de l'Approche

Description détaillée de l'Approche:

The experimental farm network started when Nate Kleinman and Dusty Hinz saw the threats of climate change, and wanted to have an agriculture able to cope with it. Breeding for crops like trees, or perennial wheat, takes decades and is often part of university programs which phase out with the retirement of the responsible person. These are the reasons which lead the two to build up a decentralized network for plant breeding and other experimental farming techniques.

The network is online based, open source, and with a free access to everyone having an internet connection. In the network, there are two positions for each project: researcher and volunteer. A researcher who wants to start a project describes the goals, the needs from the volunteers, and the required climatic and soil conditions. A volunteer, who has a profile where the growing conditions are described, can sign up for the project. The researcher can then contact the volunteers which seem suitable, and send genetic material. Usually, the work involves planting the seeds, growing it out, measuring some characteristics (size, yield, etc.) and sending a part of the seeds with some data back.

The EFN is organized as a non-profit cooperative with two permanent employees and a board of advisors. The sources of income were initially a crowdsourcing and the sale of seeds. Financially it is not yet totally self-carrying, as the employees are working sometimes for free. With the increase of seed sales, also from experimental and diverse varieties, it is changing.

The website helps putting people in touch and keeping records of who is working on which project, as well as for volunteers to stay updated with the projects. Some projects, with annuals, are only short term, while others, for example with slow growing perennials, may need decades if not more to produce a selected cultivar or variety of a crop.

2.3 Photos de l'approche

Galerie Médias

2.5 Pays/ région/ lieux où l'Approche a été appliquée

Pays:

Etats-Unis

Autres spécifications du lieu :

This is where the non-profit cooperative is registered. Projects take place around the world, in the USA, Canada and Australia so far.

Commentaires:

The Network is global, with members in the USA, Australia as of 2018. Shown is Philadelphia, where the non-profit cooperative is registered.

2.6 Dates de début et de fin de l'Approche

Indiquez l'année de démarrage:

2013

Si l'année précise est inconnue, indiquez approximativement quand l'Approche a démarré:

il y a moins de 10 ans (récemment)

2.7 Type d'Approche

initiative/ innovation récente locale

2.8 Principaux objectifs de l'Approche

Develop farming systems for a future, while tackling problems with climate change.

2.9 Conditions favorisant ou entravant la mise en œuvre de la(des) Technologie(s) appliquée(s) sous l'Approche

normes et valeurs sociales/ culturelles/ religieuses

favorise

More and more people are aware of the problems with the narrow genetics of current varieties.

collaboration/ coordination des acteurs

favorise

It only works as collaborative projects.

entrave

Some volunteers do not return seeds, it is difficult to get reliable people.

connaissances sur la GDT, accès aux supports techniques

favorise

The exchange of the different actors in plant breeding and sustainable farming enables the work of the experimental farm network

charge de travail, disponibilité de la main-d'œuvre

favorise

Many breeding projects can only be done on huge areas, for example tree breeding. Spreading the workload on many people, all of them having only a limited work, enables to make

3. Participation et rôles des parties prenantes impliquées dans l'Approche

3.1 Parties prenantes impliquées dans l'Approche et rôles

exploitants locaux des terres / communautés locales

Volunteers

Volunteers help researchers with their experiments, for example by looking out for promising wild specimen, by growing out varieties under specific conditions to assess the resistance, by selecting experimental varieties, or by similar work.

organisations communautaires

The non-profit cooperative "Experimental Farm Network"

Provides an online platform where researchers and volunteers can meet.

chercheurs

Researchers

They can find volunteers if more people are needed to carry out an experiment, specially in plant breeding for sustainable farming.

Si plusieurs parties prenantes sont impliquées, indiquez l'organisme chef de file ou l'institution responsable:

The non-profit cooperative "Experimental Farm Network" has the lead, but each researcher leads his or her own project.

3.2 Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales aux différentes phases de l'Approche

	Participation des exploitants locaux des terres/ communautés locales	Spécifiez qui était impliqué et décrivez les activités
initiation/ motivation	auto-mobilisation
planification	interactive
mise en œuvre	interactive
suivi/ évaluation	aucun

3.3 Diagramme/ organigramme (si disponible)

Description:

The Experimental Farm Network is organised as a Non-Profit Cooperative. It consists of a board of directors overseeing the the whole, and of employees. The EFN lives from donations and from the sale of seeds which are cultivated on kindly lent land.

The EFN has a website, experimentalfarmnetwork.org, on which researchers can create an account describe projects for which they want volunteers. Volunteers can also creat an account, on which they describe their soil and climatic conditions. Researchers can then contact volunteers and ask them for help. The work for the volunteer often involves growing recieved seeds and send back records about the growth, and send back seeds to the researcher. The volunteers and researcher can connect trough the website, but some work as well trough other networks like facebook.

Auteur:

Stefan Graf

3.4 Prises de décision pour la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies

Indiquez qui a décidé de la sélection de la Technologie/ des Technologies à mettre en œuvre:

principalement les exploitants des terres soutenus par des spécialistes de la GDT

Expliquez:

Each volunteer grows a crop only if he or she wants to grow it, and gets support for it.

Spécifiez sur quelle base ont été prises les décisions:

l'évaluation de connaissances bien documentées en matière de GDT (prises de décision fondées sur des preuves tangibles)?
les résultats de recherches?
expériences et opinions personnelles (non documentées)

4. Soutien technique, renforcement des capacités et gestion des connaissances

5. Financement et soutien matériel externe

5.1 Budget annuel de la composante GDT de l'Approche

Indiquez le budget annuel de la composante GDT de l'Approche en $ US:

10000,00

Commentez (par ex. principales sources de financement/ principaux bailleurs de fonds):

Crowdsourcing was used in the beginning, now the sale of seeds is taking over in supporting the cooperative financially.

5.2 Soutiens financiers/ matériels fournis aux exploitants des terres

Les exploitants des terres ont-ils reçu un soutien financier/ matériel pour la mise en œuvre de la Technologie/ des Technologies?

Non

5.3 Subventions pour des intrants spécifiques (incluant la main d'œuvre)

intrants agricoles

Spécifiez les intrants subventionnés	Dans quelle mesure	Spécifiez les subventions
semences	en partie financé	Depending on the project, seeds are given and a return of the subsequent generation asked.

Si la main d'œuvre fournie par les exploitants des terres était un intrant substantiel, elle était:

volontaire

5.4 Crédits

Des crédits ont-ils été alloués à travers l'Approche pour les activités de GDT?

Non

5.5 Autres incitations ou instruments

D'autres incitations ou instruments ont-ils été utilisés pour promouvoir la mise en œuvre des Technologies de GDT?

Non

6. Analyses d'impact et conclusions

6.1 Impacts de l'Approche

Est-ce que l'Approche a autonomisé les exploitants locaux des terres, amélioré la participation des parties prenantes?

Non
Oui, un peu
Oui, modérément
Oui, beaucoup

Est-ce que l'Approche a aidé les exploitants des terres à mettre en œuvre et entretenir les Technologies de GDT?

Non
Oui, un peu
Oui, modérément
Oui, beaucoup

Est-ce que l'Approche a construit/ renforcé les institutions, la collaboration entre parties prenantes?

Non
Oui, un peu
Oui, modérément
Oui, beaucoup

Est-ce que l'Approche a amélioré la capacité des exploitants des terres à s'adapter aux changements/ extrêmes climatiques et a atténué les catastrophes liées au climat?

Non
Oui, un peu
Oui, modérément
Oui, beaucoup

6.2 Principale motivation des exploitants des terres pour mettre en œuvre la GDT

conscience environnementale

améliorer les connaissances et compétences en GDT

6.3 Durabilité des activités de l'Approche

Les exploitants des terres peuvent-ils poursuivre ce qui a été mis en œuvre par le biais de l'Approche (sans soutien extérieur)?

incertain

Si non ou incertain, spécifiez et commentez:

It depends on the project, but usually the land users can continue to grow the crops they are testing as a part of the network.

6.4 Points forts/ avantages de l'Approche

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue de l'exploitant des terres
Allows farmers who are isolated on the countryside to have research projects together with others.
Allows a decentralized approach, in which the research can continue even if the initial researcher did not continue.

Points forts/ avantages/ possibilités du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé
The transparency allows other projects to be inspired to do similar breeding projects.

6.5 Faiblesses/ inconvénients de l'Approche et moyens de les surmonter

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue de l’exploitant des terres	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
Some volunteers only take the seeds, and do not give back as promised.	EFN wants to implement a rating system for volunteers, in a way that researchers can see if they are reliable.
Some people do not want to create an account in another social network.	They can contact some researchers directly, and work without having an account. This requires more organisational work for the researchers, but is done by some.

Faiblesses/ inconvénients/ risques du point de vue du compilateur ou d'une autre personne ressource clé	Comment peuvent-ils être surmontés?
As an english speaking platform, it crosses many countries, while some seed regulation do not allow imports or translocations of genetic material due to the risks of disease transfer.	Arrange the platform into countries where adequate.