Network Analysis of Seed Flow, a Traditional Method for Conserving Tartary Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ) Landraces in Liangshan, Southwest China

Yingjie Song, Qiong Fang, Devra Jarvis, Keyu Bai, Dongmei Liu, Jinchao Feng and Chunlin Long
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Yingjie Song: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Qiong Fang: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Devra Jarvis: Bioversity International, Maccarese, 00057 Rome, Italy
Keyu Bai: China-Bioversity International, Room 611 Old Building, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Dongmei Liu: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Regional Eco-Process and Function Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
Jinchao Feng: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Chunlin Long: College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: The Yi ethnic group in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province in Southwest China have cultivated Tartary buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ) for at least a thousand years. Tartary buckwheat landraces are maintained through their traditional seed system. Field work and social network methodologies were used to analyze the seed sources and their flows, and to create a seed network map. Self-saving, exchanging with neighbors and relatives, and purchasing from the market were the main means farmers used to save and exchange Tartary buckwheat seeds. The flow of seed within villages was higher than between villages. Wedding dowry was an important pathway for seed flow among all of the villages. Of the 13 Tartary buckwheat landraces maintained, four landraces were exchanged frequently. The seed exchange network structure was affected by the number of Tartary buckwheat landraces, the age of nodal households, geographic environment, culture, and cultural groups. Nodal households play an important role in the conservation and on-farm management of Tartary buckwheat landraces.

Keywords: seed system; social seed network; on-farm conservation; farmers; Tartary buckwheat landraces (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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