Community management of diversity of rice varieties in the coastal region of the Hue, Vietnam

Results of the study showed that there were important improvements in living standard of farmers between 1996 and 2001. It resulted from various program of rural infrastructure and also from changes in income activities. These included crop diversification in the isolated area and animal husbandry in the integrated one. However, rice production remained the important source of livelihood. The changes in farming activities resulted in mitigation of agronomic problems of rice plots, thereby favored farmers' use of modern varieties (MV) over the traditional ones (TV). The farmers' objective in rice growing, the service of formal seed system, and the provision of agrosupport services were emphasized much toward attaining increases in productivity, thereby favored the use of the MV since they met better the demands of productivity increase. In addition, responses to the catastrophic flood led to the adoption of MV because seeds of preferred varieties were not available. This revealed problems on farmers' access in the rice seed system. Between 1996 and 2001 total number of rice cultivars, especially the TVs at community landscape level decreased in both study area. Distribution of the MV became more wide spread but the TV narrowed down. At household level, mean total number of varieties also decreased. This resulted mainly from reduction of number of TVs, though this did not change for summer rice in the isolated area. Change in total area abundance of rice growing at household was not significant. However, the share of MV area increased, but TV decreased. Exception was found in the isolated area, where in summer rice season, the farmers still maintained TV for deep-water rice fields. Seed source from farmers remained the factor that had the most important contribution estimation of variety richness and area abundance of TVs in both study areas and in both rice seasons of the year. During 1996-2001 seed exchanges increased in the two study areas, however, participation of the Seed Company increased. Therefore, recommendations were made on improvement of local seed systems and seed policy to make seeds of preferred varieties accessible for farmers. Other recommendations were made on building awareness on values of rice productivity and promotion of variety variability among farmers using community-based initiatives. Further research on community arrangement, on adding value to TVs, and on development of participatory conservation schemes for demonstration were also suggested