​Honouring Silas Pêgo

SOLIBAM​
A quarter century of Participatory Plant Breeding:
Traditions with future, towards sustainable systems​
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During more than a quarter of century Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) reveal its driving force across cooperation among breeders, farmers, consumers and other stakeholders. PPB was able to create methodologies, interact with biodiversity, on-farm conservation, local traditional systems and local knowledge. PPB targets such as: marginal areas adaptation, food security, climate change, biodiversity conservation and local heritage, continues to be of great importance towards sustainability and systems resilience.

The program will include some lectures of pioneers on PPB, experiences among the ECPGR WG On-farm conservation network and the results achieved by SOLIBAM (Strategies for Organic and Low-input Integrated Breeding and Management Collaborative Project (large-scale integrating project) FP7 2010 - 2015 .

In 1984, Silas Pêgo as director of a maize breeding public company, started PPB in Portugal with VASO project. Initially he wanted to create an alternative project for small farmers who wanted to keep their genetic resources for local needs adapted to marginal locations. Around the world this initiatives showed to be of great value improving the day life of farmers, granting traditions, genetic resources conservation on farm, and providing the material for resistance to pest and diseases so as climate changes.

The participatory approach connecting farmers with scientists and stakeholders is more than needed today. Monthly in Portugal almost 240 young Portuguese’s establish themselves as farmers. This Symposium intends to be an inspiration for farmers, scientists and stakeholders. Awareness of genetic resources, breeding and local products on a frame of rural and economic development is more needed than ever.