The workshop is by invitation only. Participants may login to access background materials.

Two hypotheses motivate this workshop. The first is that scientific research about agrobiodiversity can be advanced by using a holistic approach to value its components. The second is that applied research undertaken jointly can lead to costs, benefits, and policy recommendations that differ in important ways from those supported by separate analyses. The four components of agrobiodiversity that we will consider (crops, trees, livestock and aquatic genetic resources) are addressed specifically by the mandate of the CGIAR system and represented by SGRP. Rural people in marginal production environments often depend on these components of biodiversity directly for the food and products they consume and sell.

A priori, several observations support the hypothesis that both research and policy might be advanced through integrated, applied research. Policies and development interventions that affect one component often affect others. For example, livestock and crops compete for some of the same lands, crop products serve as inputs for livestock production, and manure and animal power serve as inputs to crop production. Some of the most significant forces driving change in diversity levels within components are the same across components-such as intensification of agricultural production processes, the development and spread of market infrastructure. Clearly, policy and development interventions at the local level also often deal with the same people. Many small-scale farmers, especially in less industrially advanced agriculture, integrate the production of two or more of crops, trees, and livestock or aquaculture components.

The objective of the workshop is to draft a concept note to test these hypotheses with applied research conducted in an applied, developing economy context. In addition to leading economists, experts in crop, livestock, fish and tree genetic resources will participate. A preliminary concept statement and an annotated bibliography of related literature can be found on this website.