Gardeners in participatory farming experiments (Deliverable 6.4)

Farmers have the possibility of getting involved in participatory breeding processes to obtain ""tailor-made"" varieties adapted to their soil-climatic context but also to their cultural, social and economic context. When they begin this selection from genetic resources preserved in collections, the quantity of seeds provided to them is very small (few seeds). A significant multiplication work is then necessary, which requires a lot of time and meticulousness. One possibility is to work on this multiplication step with amateur gardeners who live in close geographic proximity to the farmers. In the French Bean-Cast Living Lab, a participatory breeding program started with a range of bean varieties selected from various collections. The quantities provided by the conservatories ranged from 10 to 40 seeds per variety and an association of amateur gardeners was asked to ""adopt"" sows so that the quantities of seeds collected is enough to be grown commercially by farmers. When sufficient seed is available, the seeds are given to farmers who evaluate them at the field level.In order to have an inclusive collaboration with gardeners, the following recommendations are suggested: raise awareness among gardeners about the challenges that farmers face; co-design together (gardeners, farmers, researchers, consumers) simple and clear trial protocols; be accompanied by a facilitator who frequently visits and monitors the trials and is available for any questions; involve gardeners in the analysis and interpretation of data/results. Be careful, however, not to be too ambitious in the objectives and in the technical protocol.