Why would farmers want to grow and improve seed?
Although farmer-based crop improvement programs have been conducted with small farmers world-wide, minimal work has been done in the United States. The large U.S seed companies produce vegetable traits adapted to conventional high-input farming systems and large- scale food systems, such as durability for long-distance shipping. In contrast, participatory crop development addresses the concerns of small farmers and local community food systems. One problem with conventional seed production is the tendency to focus on “broad adaptability”; the capacity of a plant to produce a high average yield over a range of growing environments and years. Unfortunately, genetic material that produces high yields in one growing zone, but poor yields in another, tends to be quickly eliminated from the breeder’s gene pool. Yet, this may be exactly what small farmers in some areas need. Ease of harvest and storage, taste and cooking qualities, early maturity, and suitability to local climatic constraints
