On-farm conservation involves the maintenance of traditional varieties by farmers in agroecosystems. The important role of small farmers living and cultivating in complex, diverse and risk-prone marginal and heterogeneous environments in maintaining crop diversity on-farm is described. The on-farm conservation of plant genetic resources is complex because there are many factors that will influence a farmer’s decision on the management of their crops and fields, which in turn affect the quantity and quality of the inherent genetic diversity. The multiple private and public values and benefits of on-farm conservation are highlighted, as well as the options and interventions that can help strengthen the role of small farmers and farming communities in on-farm conservation. A major focus for the conservationist or development practitioner will be to encourage the farmer to continue cultivation of traditional varieties and this may be achieved by niche marketing, seed shows, participatory traditional variety improvement or even financial incentives. Key steps that need to be considered when implementing an on-farm conservation project are outlined and a brief review of the impact of on-farm conservation projects and the implications for scaling up actions is provided.

Humans have used plants in numerous ways to meet their multiple needs since the early days of our existence. Plant use ranges from their indirect use for recreational, health and amenity purposes to their direct use as food, medicines and as a source of useful variation for plant breeding and crop improvement. Traditional and Indigenous cultures have relied on the use of plants for many thousands of years, whereas commercial exploitation is more recent. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship that exists between people and their use and knowledge of plants. Economic botany is also a term often used to describe how people have and continue to use and exploit plants. For certain plant species a number of factors have contributed to their overexploitation. The same 2016 State of the World’s Plants also points out that over 30,000 plants are now protected under CITES, the global convention on trade in endangered species. For other plant species and varieties many remain neglected and underutilized and there are many socio-economic, political and technical barriers preventing their sustainable conservation and utilization. The purpose of plant genetic conservation is to make plants and plant-derived products available for sustainable utilization.