FARMERS and SEEDS:

The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia

FIELD Indonesia
FARMERS INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

FIELD Indonesia
FARMERS INITIATIVES FOR ECOLOGICAL LIVELIHOODS AND DEMOCRACY

FARMERS and SEEDS:

The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia

Citation
Engkus Kuswara, Lardian Isfandri, and Nugroho Wienarto. FARMERS and SEEDS: The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia. 2009. FIELD Indonesia. 32 pp.

This publication was carried out with support from PEDIGREA (Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia) and Biodiversity Fund, The Netherlands (Hivos and OXFAM-NOVIB)

FIELD (Farmers' Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy) Jalan Teluk Jakarta 1, Rawa Bambu Pasar Minggu, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia Tel./Fax (62-21) 7803470; 33101515 Email: fieldind@indosat.net.id www.pedigrea.org; www.field-indonesia.org; www.alivefp3.org; www.theFieldAlliance.org

Production in-charge: Nugroho Wienarto, Triyanto Purnama Adi, and Engkus Kuswara Editors: Ines Vivian Domingo and Arma R. Bertuso Cover and Layout Design: Triyanto Purnama Adi Photographs: Triyanto Purnama Adi, Engkus Kuswara, Lardian Isfandri, Rendra Kusuma Wijaya, Wiwik Sriyanti, Setyo Untoro

Copyright-free publication. Readers are encourage to quote, reproduce, disseminate and translate materials for their own use. Due acknowledgment, with full reference to the article's authors and source book is requested.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the Indonesian Library

ISBN 979-98088-4-2

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Acknowledgments
We are deeply grateful for the farmer trainers, farmer breeders and farmer communities of the Farmer Field School on Participatory Plant Breeding in rice and vegetables and FFS on Goat Improvement. Without their determination and commitment these series of publications would not be a reality. Acknowledgment is also due to the support extended by the Local Government of Indramayu, West Java. Highly recognizable too is the appreciation and support of the Indonesian IPM Farmer Associations, village level governments and communities of Indramayu to the implementation of PEDIGREA. We are also grateful to FIELD's Advisory Board for their support and guidance in the implementation of the program. Our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Ines Vivian Domingo for her perseverance in editing these papers despite the short notice and making this readable to a broader audience. We also express our appreciation to the support and encouragement given by PEDIGREA (Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia) Coordinators, Ms. Elenita C. Dano and Ms. Arma R. Bertuso, also to the project partners, SRER Khmer in Cambodia, PPRDI in Philippines and Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands. We gratefully acknowledge Biodiversity Fund of the Netherlands (HIVOS and OXFAM-NOVIB), Center of Genetic Resources of the Netherlands, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for without their support both financial and technical to FIELD these series of publications including FARMERS and SEEDS: The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia won't be made possible.

FIELD Management Staff 25 March 2009 Pasar Minggu, Jakarta

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FARMERS and SEEDS: The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia
By: Engkus Kuswara1, Lardian Isfandri2, and Nugroho Wienarto3

Background
Since the introduction of the Green Revolution in the 1970s, farmers became dependent on agricultural companies for agricultural inputs like fertilizers, pesticides, including seeds. However, many of the existing commercial seeds from these companies are not suitable to the local conditions and farmers' needs. Moreover, this caused loss of farmers' local knowledge about plant breeding and high genetic erosion of agrobiodiversity. With this, the Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources (PEDIGREA) project was started in 2002 to address this situation. PEDIGREA is one of the several programs implemented by FIELD Indonesia. It is implemented in the Indramayu district of West Java. Indramayu is the country's biggest rice bowl district. It is largely lowland, located 160 km east of Jakarta and was the main target area of the government's Green Revolution program in the 1970s. The program activities of PEDIGREA include the following: ? Farmer Field School (FFS) on participatory plant breeding (PPB) on rice and vegetables. FFS on participatory animal improvement (PAI) on goats Participatory market development (PMD)

? ?

The main approach used in the PEDIGREA project is the Farmer Field School. Some of the project results are as follows:

1 2 3

Program manager, PPB Project of FIELD Indonesia Field staff, FIELD Indonesia Executive Director, FIELD Indonesia

Jakarta

Indramayu District

West Java Province

Project Site in Indonesia

The project activities have spread to cover 11 sub-districts of Indramayu, namely: Sukra, Bongas, Gabus Wetan, Kroya, Bangodua-Malangsari, Widasari-Kalensari, LeleaNunuk, Kertasmaya-Jengkok, Kedokan BunderCangkingan, Segeran Kidul, and Sliyeg-Sliyeg Lor. There are a total of 60 farmer facilitators/breeders for the PPB: 34 for rice and 26 for vegetables. There are 264 graduates of FFS on rice (212 men and 52 women) and 257 graduates of FFS on local vegetables (233 men and 52 women) from 2007 up to Dec 2008. FFS-PAI graduates on goats number 35 persons (20 men and 15 women). The farmers have been continuously conducting field enhancement studies since 2003. By December 2008, the farmer breeders were working with a total of 211 lines of rice: F3 (7 lines), F4 (12 lines), F5 (37 lines), F6 (19 lines), F7 (16 lines), F8 (25 lines), F9 (28 lines), F10 (18 lines), F11 (12 lines), F12 (8 lines), and F13 (29 lines). On the other hand, advanced breeding lines of local vegetables include the following: bitter gourd in F6 (6 lines) and F7 (9 lines); sponge gourd in F6 (10 lines) and F7 (29 lines); and squash in F7 (8 lines). There are also popular rice breeding lines from crosses made by the farmer breeders. For example in Jengkok village, an F8 (Kebo x Longong) has became widely popular among the farmers in the community. Named Bongong, the line was already stable in 2008 and planted by 203 farmers in Jengkok village over a total land area of 100 hectares. Other similar cases can be found in the villages of Bangodua, Gabus Wetan, Kalensari and Nunuk. In Bangodua, the breeding line is in F8 (Kebo x

? ?

Ciherang). Named Rambo, it is planted by 105 farmers in around 50 hectares in the said village. ? In Sliyeg Lor village, the farmers' group was able to get a successful cross in sponge gourd. The breeding line is in F7 from a cross of Sliyeg x Kalensari, both of which are local varieties. The new variety is very popular in Silyeg, Majasi and Longok communities. During the June-October 2008 cropping season, it was planted in 65 hectates by 320 farmers. The project supported farmers to learn about impact of climate change. For them to fully understand the concept and be able to address it, farmers from the village of Jengkok conducted an enhancement study on screening breeding lines for drought tolerance. Twenty-five (25) breeding lines and 12 local rice varieties were tested under drought condition.

The results showed that the breeding lines of Bongong (crosses by Joharifin) and Gading Suryaman (crosses by Muhamad Suryaman) emerged as drought tolerant. On the other hand, the local varieties Gundil merah, Gundil putih, Jalawara merah, Jalawara putih, Longong and Bali Mansur were likewise found to be tolerant to drought. The farmers concluded that these are good parent materials for breeding objectives on drought tolerance and to address climate change. Furthermore, farmers involved in the PPB have increased their knowledge and skills on conservation and breeding; these include the skills on field observation and documentation of breeding lines and selections. Farmer breeders' and FFS graduates' morale and motivation are very strong, and the farming communities provide encouraging support to the project. The following are selected stories of Indramayu farmer breeders their efforts, successes, and some of their difficulties in breeding new varieties.

Profil of Farmer Breeders

1. Mr. Taryana: Breeding a sponge gourd variety
Mr. Taryana, 65 years old, is a farmer breeder of local vegetables especially sponge gourd. He is also the leader of the Arumsari Farmers' Group in Sliyeg Lor village, Sliyeg sub-district where he lives. He has been involved in the PEDIGREA program in his village since January 2004. Mr. Taryana and other members of the group were successful in breeding new sponge gourd varieties after three years. One of them resulted in the new Sliyeg variety, of which Mr. Taryana shared the following information: In Sliyeg Lor village, the farmers' group got good results with vegetables especially on sponge gourd. The breeding line is in F7 which is a cross of two local varieties (Sliyeg x Kalensari). The line is popular in Sliyeg Lor and in the communities of Majasi and Longok. As of the June-October 2008 cropping season, the stable variety was planted by 320 farmers in about 65 hectares in these three communities. The average production is 5 tons/ha in one season. For the last season mentioned, an estimated 780 tons of the new Sliyeg sponge gourd was sold to the local market of Jatibarang (15km), the big vegetable market in Bekasi (around 150km), and Bandung (around 180km). The Arumsari Farmers' Group was formed in 20 December 1998 with 80 members. In the beginning, the group was assisted by the district Office of Agriculture and was focused on mango with sponge gourd, squash, and string beans as secondary crops planted in between the rows of mangoes. In 2004, the group joined the PEDIGREA project by participating in the FFS on local vegetables (January- May 2004). Twenty-five (25) members (8 of them were women and 17 were men) participated in the FFS mentioned. The FFS specifically focused on developing local vegetables such as sponge gourd and squash. However, the group was principally interested in sponge gourd because majority of the farmers in the village planted this vegetable which is their main

source of income. The Sliyeg community has three main sources of livelihood: mango (once a year), rice (once during the rainy season) and sponge gourd (daily). According to Mr. Taryana and the members of the group, before they joined the FFS, their only knowledge on sponge gourd was limited to the planting, growing and selling of this vegetable. With the FFS, their knowledge expanded to include analysis of vegetable activities, year-to-year analysis of the vegetable enterprise, parental evaluation of vegetables under development, framework of vegetable breeding, establishing breeding objectives, setting up of field trials, discussion on cells, genes, and characteristics, plant growth stages, plant morphology, breeding techniques, recording and documentation, taste test of the vegetables, and many others. The farmers observed that Sliyeg, which is widely planted in the village because it is drought resistant and high yielding, had a rough texture and was considered too long (40-50cm) thus it gets easily broken during packaging which resulted in lower price. Thus to enhance the sponge gourd quality, the farmers came up with their breeding objectives such as: medium length (20-25 cm) so it does not easily break when packed, with soft texture, high yielding, and a bit sweet. Based on these objectives, Mr. Taryana and the farmers' group evaluated different varieties as possible parents for their crosses. They settled on Sliyeg and Kalensari, another local variety with shorter fruit (10-15 cm), soft texture, and sweet taste. The crossing process of Sliyeg x Kalensari was performed in April 2004. After crossing, the farmers conducted the enhancement study to select from the segregating materials those that will fit the criteria they have set. The enhancement study was done twice a year and when it reached F5 in 2006, the line has shown good results thus many farmers in the village planted the variety.

The new Sliyeg sponge gourd

Female flower of the new Sliyeg sponge gourd

Male flower of the new Sliyeg sponge gourd

Fruit of the new Sliyeg sponge gourd

Because of their success with the Sliyeg variety, the members of the Arumsari Farmers' Group have Name of Breeder: Taryana become well known as farmer Place of breeding: Sliyeg Lor village, Sliyeg breeders; many farmers come to sub-district them to exchange their sponge Variety name: New Sliyeg sponge gourd gourd seeds. The members also Status: F7 (stable) continue to strengthen their Father variety: Sliyeg organization and increase their Mother variety: Kalensari knowledge in breeding so every season, they conduct meetings to Maturity: 35 days discuss about their breeding, Length of fruit: 25 cm selection, and growing of Number of harvesting: 30 times in 3 months vegetables. They also pursue their Production/hill: 2 kg enhancement studies so that other Taste: Good taste, sweet and members can further study and soft texture practice selection of varieties as Number of plantings in one year: 3 times (April, August well as produce stable lines, and and November) exchange seeds among Other traits: Resistant to fruit fly themselves. The farmers also use the enhancement studies to ensure that the Sliyeg variety remains pure. Sponge gourd is a cross pollinated crop, so it is prone to accidental crossing with other varieties. Description and characteristics of the new Sliyeg sponge gourd With this accomplishment, Mr Taryana and his group have not stopped but rather keep continuing with their breeding activities to produce more new varieties. They also expanded their activities to develop a community seed bank which will be maintained by the youth and women in the community. They are also working on their marketing strategy for the Sliyeg variety.

2. Mr. Joharifin: A farmer breeder of a new popular local rice variety

Mr. Joharifin, 31 years old, is a farmer breeder and leader of Karya Peduli T ani Farmers' Group. He uses a third of his one-hectare land for growing the selections from his own cross breeding. He lives in Jengkok village, a farming community Where rice is the main crop. Mr. Joharifin got interested in the PEDIGREA program because he realized that farmers are becoming dependent on companies for their seeds and other farm inputs, and there is loss of local knowledge and biodiversity. He participated in the training of trainers (ToT), then the FFS PPB on rice.

In the FFS, Mr. Joharifin learned how to conduct evaluation of varieties for parent materials in breeding work, emasculation and pollination, and selection methods for segregating lines. During the FFS, he evaluated local varieties such as Longong, Gundil putih, Gundil kuning, Jalawara putih, Jalawara merah, Sri putih, ketan bulu, ketan kuning, ketan putih and Kebo. After this, he made three crosses, namely: Kebo x Longong (8 May 2004); Cibadak x IR 64 (7 July 2004); and Cibadak x Ciherang (7 July 2004). From these crosses, one variety which resulted from Kebo x Longong became popular among farmers; Mr. Joharifin named it Bongong, derived from the names of the parent varieties. The breeder used the bulk and pedigree selection methods, but he also innovated to create a modified version that became known among his fellow farmers as the Johar selection method. During the F5 stage of Bongong, other farmers become interested in it. At the same time, Joharifin has limited land so he cannot pursue more selections in his own field. There were discussions within the farmers' group; it was later decided that other farmers could plant Bongong with some conditions. First, that they must join Karya Peduli Tani Farmers' Group. Second, they must use the Johar selection method. Third, they have to document and give back the information on their observations on the variety's development. And fourth, is for them not to give the seeds to other non-member farmers. Today, Bongong is in F8 and is widely grown in Jengkok and other nearby villages. Mr. Joharifin related that Bongong became stable faster compared to other crosses because of the selection process that he developed. His Johar method involves choosing the best one rice hill based on the breeding objective's criteria and next, from one cluster he chose 3 panicles. And from these 3 panicles, the selection continues. This showed quicker results, as by F5, Bongong had already became stable.

The Bongong breeding line

Bongong breeding line in the vegetative

Bongong breeding line during harvesting time

Bongong breeding line panicle

Bongong breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of Bongong breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Rice texture: Yield potential: Other traits: JOHARIFIN Jengkok village, Kertasmaya sub-district Bongong F 8 (stable) Kebo Longong 115 days after trans planting (DAT) 105 cm 25-35 tillers Erect Long and slender 300-360 grains Good 9-12 tons/ha Resistant to Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) and to lodging

During the 2008-2009 wet season (October-March), around 300 farmers planted Bongong in 250 hectares. The variety is planted in the villages of Jengkok, Cikedung, Nunuk, Tegal Wirangron, Sukadana, Jagapura, Jambe, Cangkingan, Gua Lor Bedeng, and Klewed. Despite this relative success, Mr. Joharifin related the constraints he faced in his breeding activities. For example, after harvest, many of the farmers who planted the Bongong breeding line gave back some of their rice samples to him. However, he lacks the equipment to store the seeds and maintain the good quality of the variety. He said that because the farmer-bred seeds are distributed to many farmers and throughout many areas, there is a need to ensure the supply of good quality seeds. To solve the problem, Mr. Joharifin and his group are planning to establish a seed bank.

3. Mr. Warsiyah: Farmer-breeder and steward of local rice varieties

Mr. Warsiyah, 51 years old, is from Kalensari village, Widasari sub-district. He has good experiences in rice breeding and has been successful in crossing local varieties. At present, he already has 6 stable breeding lines. He has been conserving 25 local varieties of rice since 2002. Mr.Warsiyah is one of the pioneer farmer trainors when PEDIGREA started in 2002 in Indonesia. Aside from being a farmer breeder and a facilitator in FFS PPB in the district, he is also a resource person in various trainings in agriculture and integrated pest management (IPM). His interest in PPB, Mr. Warsiyah explained, is because before the 1970s the local rice has high diversity. During that time, farmers did not have to buy the seeds they needed, but simply collected them from their own rice fields; they did their selection before harvest to be able to get good seeds. But with the introduction of modern varieties as part of the Green Revolution program, the situation changed. Now, the cost of rice cultivation keeps increasing, and farmers

rely more and more on external inputs, including seeds. These problems made farmers realize the need to come together and create a program on seeds. With FIELD Indonesia, they were able to join the PEDIGREA project. Since his involvement in the project, he already has 25 kinds of local rice varieties which he plants every season, and screens as possible parent lines. He also has 102 lines in various stages of breeding (F5 up to F 12). Of six advanced breeding lines, two are already stable, with their characteristics described below:

The 01.2B Aromatic breeding line

01.2B breeding line during harvesting time

01.2B breeding line panicle

01.2B breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of 01.2B Aromatic breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Plant name: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Warsiyah Kalensari village, Widasari sub-district 01.2B Aromatic F 11 Kebo Pandan Wangi 110 DAT 110 cm 27-37 tillers Erect Long and round 250 grains Good and aromatic 7-9 tons/ha Resistant to Bacteria Leaf Blight (BLB), suceptible to lodging

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The 01.2A breeding line

01.2A breeding line during harvesting time

01.2A breeding line panicle

01.2A breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of 01.2A breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Plant name: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Warsiyah Kalensari village, Widasari sub-district 01.2A Aromatic F 11 Kebo Pandan Wangi 105-115 DAT 115-130 cm 22-30 tillers Erect 253 grains Good 7 tons/ha Suceptible to BLB, moderately lodging

With his experience in rice and vegetable breeding, Mr. Warsiyah has become quite popular in his community and in Indramayu for his efforts in PPB. He hopes that his breeding work will help in regaining the high agro-biodiversity in his district for future generations.

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4. Mr. Muhamad Suryaman: breeding for his family and for other farmers
Mr. Muhamad Suryaman, 27 years old, lives in Jengkok village of Kertasmaya sub-district. He is a member of Karya Peduli Tani Farmers' Group. He became a breeder after he graduated from the FFS PPB on rice in 2004. After the FFS and on his own, he crossed several rice varieties. These were: Way Apo Buru x Longong (27 Feb 2005); Way Apo Buru x Cibadak (27 Feb 2005); Cibadak x Way Apo Buru (reciprocal cross*, 27 Feb 2005); and Ciherang x Sabo (11 May 2005). Out of these four crosses, the last one became successful. Mr. Suryaman named it Gading Surya, and is currently in F8 and stable. He bred it using the bulk and pedigree selection methods. In 2008, Gading Surya was planted in Bangodua village by 27 farmers in around 25 hectares.

The Gading Surya breeding line

Gading Surya breeding line during panicle inititive

Gading Surya breeding line panicle

Gading Surya breeding line seeds (in cm)

* Example: Way Apo Buru (mother) x Cibadak (father); the reciprocal cross would be Way Apo Buru (father) x Cibadak (mother)

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Description and characteristics of Gading Surya breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Muhamad Suryaman Jengkok village, Kertasmaya sub-district Gading Surya F 8 (stable) Ciherang Sabo 95 DAT 95 cm 25-35 tillers Quiet dropping Oval 200-250 grains Good 8 tons/ha Resistant to BPH but suceptible to BLB

Mr. Suryaman commented on his participation in the PPB, I have learned about rice breeding from the PEDIGRA program. This knowledge I will own for a long time. I also learned about farmer relationships and how I can better work with my fellow farmers. I was able to increase my skills and abilities in agriculture so that now I have more self confidence and I am really proud that I have succesfully developed a new rice variety. This will be useful for my family and other farmers to increase their rice production. I hope the other farmers will continue to plant the Gading Surya variety.

5. Mr. Darmin: A prolific breeder for organic farming

Mr Darmin, 51 years old, lives in Sekarmulya village, Gabus Wetan sub-district. He started farming in 1985 with a rented 3,500 m2 piece of land. After ten years, he was able to increase his rented land to 2 hectares, and to own 1 hectare. In 1996, he became a leader of the Sri Asih Farmers' Group. His interest in agriculture is also supported by his participation in various trainings. In 2003, he attended the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) training held in Bandung, West Java. This was organized by the water irrigation system services of the Public Works Department of West Java province. He practices SRI to produce organic rice. Organic rice has a higher price than chemically-grown rice, of which he can sell about 500 kg/month. He attended the FFS PPB on local rice varieties in 2004. After the FFS, he crossed several local varieties:

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1. Randa kuningan x M Wasman 2. Gundil putih x Fatmawati 3. Gundil putih x Rajawali 4. Gundil Putih x Ciherang 5. Gundil putih x Goyang Dombret 6. Ciherang x Fatmawati 7. Ciherang x Gundil putih 8. Ciherang x Layung 9. Ciherang x Jalawara 10. Ciherang x Situ Patenggang 11. Ciherang x Bubuway 12. Ciherang x Seke

These crosses resulted in 35 breeding lines, now in their F7 to F10. Out of these 35, two became promising breeding lines, and are almost stable already.

Rangbo Pak Darmin or 06.01.A breeding line

06.01.A breeding line during harvesting time

06.01.A breeding line panicle

06.01.A breeding line seeds (in cm)

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Description and characteristics of Rangbo Pak Darmin or 06.01.A breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Darmin Sekarmulya village, Gabus Wetan sub-district Rangbo Pak Darmin or 06.01.A F 10 Ciherang Kebo 113 DAT 107-115 cm 25-30 tillers Erect 320 grains Good 7-9 tons/ha Resistant to BPH and lodging, better if planted in the dry season

The Rangbo Pak Darmin or 06.01.C

06.01.C breeding line during harvesting time

06.01.C breeding line panicle

06.01.C breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of Rangbo Pak Darmin or 06.01.C breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Darmin Karangmulya village, Gabus Wetan sub-district 06.01.C F9 Ciherang Pandan Wangi

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Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits:

110 DAT 64 cm 39 tillers Erect Long and rounded 150-250 grains Good 9.4 tons/ha Not yet tested for pest and disease resistance

Mr. Darmin stated, What I have learned from this program is that each rice variety has a specific set of characteristics. I learned about and now practice rice breeding so I can contribute to increasing biodiversity. I also learned from farmers from another country when I joined a cross-visit to the PEDIGREA partner in the Philippines. I became proud that I can use my knowledge to share with other farmers. I hope to continue my work in breeding and organic farming.

6. Mr. Yusuf: Breeding as an opportunity to learn and become an expert

Mr. Yusuf, 38 years old, lives in Mulyasari village, Bangodua sub-district. He is a member of the Karyabakti Farmers' Group in his village. He joined the PEDIGREA program in 2003. Mr. Yusuf said he was interested in the program because previously, he and his family had to buy seeds for planting every season, and the seeds that they bought in the market needed more fertilizers and pesticides so they had to spend a lot of money for their farming. With the PEDIGREA program, he realized that farmers try to use the local rice varieties which are already well adapted to the local ecosystem. However, there is a need to improve these materials to

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get better yields and improve their characteristics, thus he became interested in breeding. With PPB, he was able to explore and use the potential of local varieties to develop a new variety. Mr. Yusuf attended the FFS PPB on rice in 2003. After the FFS, he set his rice breeding objectives, which were: requires less fertilizer, tolerant to pests and diseases, tolerant to drought, short maturity, high yielding, and of good eating quality. He screened different local varieties that fit his breeding criteria. He crossed different varieties, such as: Kebo x Ciherang, Ciherang x Kebo (reciprocal cross), Kebo x Ciherang, and Dombret x Ciherang. Out of these crosses, one from Kebo x Ciherang showed good potential and fits Mr. Yusuf's breeding objectives. He used the bulk and pedigree selection methods; the breeding line is now in F10 and stable. He gave it the name Borang, a combination of the names of the parent varieties. In 2008, Borang was planted in 50 hectares by 27 farmers in Bangodua.

The Borang breeding line

Borang breeding line during harvesting time

Borang breeding line panicle

Borang breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of the Borang breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Yusuf Mulyasari village, Bangodua sub-district Borang Bangodua F 10 (stable) Kebo Ciherang 110 DAT

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Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits:

105 cm 36 tillers Erect Long and rounded 200-300 grains Good 8 tons/ha Tolerant to BLB and to lodging, grains do not separate easily from the panicle during threshing

Mr Yusuf commented on the most important learning he gained from his PPB work, We have to change our minds about farmers; if we are given a chance to learn, we can be experts, and be able to improve our own rice farming. He also said that before he joined PEDIGREA, he had no chance to share his knowledge with other farmers But now, he not only shares his knowledge to others, but also the new varieties as well.

7. Mr. Nurkilah: Breeding and helping other farmers learn Mr Nurkilah, 35 years old, lives in Nunuk village, Lelea sub-district. He is a member of the Lamaran Farmers' Group. He was one of the pioneer farmer trainers in PPB since 2002 when PEDIGREA started its program in Indonesia. He became very interested in the program because Indramayu is the biggest rice bowl in Indonesia. As a result of the Green Revolution however, he noticed a lot of problems in agriculture such as lack of rice diversity, loss of local varieties, and high cost of rice production. He was sad about this situation. Mr. Nurkilah tried to apply what he learned in PPB in his own field. He

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crossed several local rice varieties, and was fortunate to get good result of one of his crosses the F7BP x Ciherang. He used the bulk and pedigree selection methods; the breeding line is now in F10 and is quite stable. He named the new variety Tambak Emas.

The Tambak Emas breeding line

Tambak Emas breeding line during harvesting time

Tambak Emas breeding line panicle

Tambak Emas breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of Tambak Emas breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Nurkilah Nunuk village, Lelea sub-district Tambak Emas F 10 (stable) F7BP Ciherang 110 DAT 90 cm 25-30 tillers Quite drooping 215-250 grains Good 7-8 tons/ha Resistant to lodging, resistant to BPH and BLB, grains do not separate easily from the panicle during threshing

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As of 2008, Tambak Emas is planted by 20 farmers in an area covering 5 hectares in Nunuk village and in another 5 hectares in Jambak village. Mr. Nurkilah reflected that after seven years in the PEDIGREA program, he learned a lot about helping solve the lack local rice diversity through cross breeding. He also learned about the importance of observation through the Genotype by Environment Analysis (GEAN) so with this knowledge, he was able to cross and come up with a new local variety. He learned about patience in conducting selection every season until he got a new breeding line. With this, his knowledge increased so that in 2005, he became a resource person and facilitator in the ToT and FFS PPB in Indramayu and in other districts. He also had a chance to share his experiences in the international workshop on PPB in 2004 held in Laos.

8. Mrs. Tarilah: Breeding rice and hoping for more women to become breeders
Mrs. Tarilah, 28 years old, lives in Nunuk village, Lelea sub-district. She is a member of the Lamaran Farmers' Group. Out of the 50 members of the farmers' group, 33 are women. She joined the FFS PPB on rice conducted in her village in April-July 2002. After this, she became active in PEDIGREA and joined other activities such as: ? ? ToT on FFS PBB (March 2003) FFS on local vegetables (March 2004) Enhancement study on rice and local vegetables (March 2005- up to the present) International farmers' sharing among PEDIGREA program participants (Cambodia, January 2008).

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Aside from her active participation in group activities, she also pursued breeding on her own. In 2002, she made two crosses Kebo x Ciherang and Dombret x Ciherang. However, due to her busy schedule and lack of land to pursue further selections, she was constrained to stop planting her breeding lines in F4. Nevertheless, Mrs. Tarilah said that her experience in the FFS PPB on rice taught her to analyze local rice diversity, looking for materials for cross breeding, being observant when doing selection, and gaining skills to be able to do cross breeding and selection of segregating materials. In the future, she will continue to extend and share her knowledge in breeding to other farmers who want to have the knowledge and skills in rice breeding especially to women farmers so there will be more of them involved in PPB.

9. Mr. Raspan Darpan: Breeding and increasing one's selfconfidence

Mr. Raspan, 50 years old, lives in Mulyasari village, Bangodua sub-district. He is a member of the Karyabakti Farmers' Group in his village. The group has 25 members (17 men and 8 women). Mr. Raspan, together with members of his farmers' group, joined the FFS PPB on rice in 2004. He related that the first time he attended the PEDIGREA program in Mulyasari, he felt no interest in plant breeding because he thought the job was too difficult for farmers, but after joining the FFS PPB, his views changed. The FFS helped him become more aware that farmers have the knowledge and capacity to solve thie own problems. On his own, he made several crosses: Jonggol x Ciherang, Dombret x Mira, Mira x Dombret (reciprocal cross) and Way Apo Buru x Sri putih. Out of these crosses, one had shown good potential; this is the cross from Way Apo Buru x Sri putih. For the last cross mentioned, the breeding line is now in F7. He used the bulk and

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pedigree methods in his selection process. In 2008, the line was already stable and it was planted by 15 farmers in Bangodua village.

The Way Sri breeding line

Tambak breeding line during harvesting time

Tambak breeding line panicle

Tambak breeding line seeds (in cm)

Description and characteristics of the Borang breeding line

Name of Breeder: Place of breeding: Name of breeding line: Status: Mother variety: Father variety: Maturity: Plant height: Productive tillers: Flag leaf: Grain form: Number of grains/panicle: Eating quality: Yield potential: Other traits: Raspan Mulyasari village, Bangodua sub-district Way Sri F 7 (stable) Way Apo Buru Sri putih 90 DAT 75 cm 20-25 tillers Upright Slender and long 400 grains Good 8 tons/ha Resistant to BLB and to lodging

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The stories of farmer breeders featured in this document are indicators of the success of indicator PPB program in Indramayu,West Java, Indonesia. Many more farmers in the district have achieve similar accomplishments. However due to some limitations, we were not able to include all their experiences in this collection. One of very important lesson stood out from documenting the activities and achievements of these farmer breeders -- that if provided with the opportunity to learn through participatory approaches, farmers cn develop their creativity to analyze and solve their own problems.

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FIELD
FIELD Indonesia Foundation (Farmer Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy) is an organization that supports people in marginal communities through education for empowerment. FIELD Indonesia was established on 1 June 2001. FIELD key staffs are former members of the FAO Regional Program on Community IPM in Asia (www.CommunityIPM.org) in 1998-2002 and were part of the team that provided technical assistance over 12 years to the National IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Program, local farmer organizations and the Indonesian IPM Farmers Associations. FIELD activities make use of a variety learning approaches including the Farmer Field Schools & Studies, Community Action Research, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, and Farmer Advocacy. FIELD's vision is that marginal communities in Indonesia re-claim and remanage their public domains and improve their livelihoods. And its missions are to facilitate marginal communities to be able to: ? Analyze and understand the conditions of the ecosystems that form the basis of their livelihoods in technical, social and political aspects. Organize themselves to conduct actions to enhance their livelihoods in a manner that is both ecologically sound (just and in harmony with the nature) and democratic (just and in harmony with other people).

Specifically, FIELD as a partner of PEDIGREA is doing the conservation and utilization of genetic resources by farmers on rice, local vegetables (sponge gourd, bitter gourd and pumpkin) and animal (goat), participatory market development, and policy advocacy within the framework of Farmers' Rights and Ecological Agriculture in Indramayu District, West Java Province. Currently, FIELD is also working in other programs, such as Sustaining Local Food Systems and Agro-biodiversity, Community Action Research for Advocacy Education and Local Policy Reform, Environment Services Program Field Schools, Community Biodiversity and Livelihoods Field Schools, Home garden Vegetable and Nutrition Field Schools as a part of Household Food Security Program, Ecological Agriculture and Organic Farming, Ecological IPM in vegetables, and System of Rice Intensification (SRI).

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PEDIGREA
The Participatory Enhancement of Diversity of Genetic Resources in Asia (PEDIGREA) is a project that aims to strengthen the capability of farming communities to manage their genetic resources as part of local agro-biodiversity. The project focuses on:

? participatory plant breeding aimed at the broadening of the genetic base of rice in intensive production systems, ? participatory crop improvement of local and traditional vegetables (i.e. pumpkin, sponge gourd, wax gourd, bitter gourd, eggplant, string beans), ? participatory animal improvement aimed at enhancing the genetic base of farm animals (i.e. pig and goat), and ? participatory market development aimed at creating and improving market opportunities for local and regional farm products. The purpose of PEDIGREA is to contribute to food sovereignty and to strengthen farmers' genetic diversity and knowledge systems in the rice based farming systems of Southeast Asia. It works on participatory methodologies developed in the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach with the partner farming communities. At the same time, the project build on the comparative advantages of all key actors in the management of genetic resources including those from the public sector. PEDIGREA project is implemented in three countries, namely: Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. PEDIGREA project partners are SRER KHMER in Cambodia, FIELD in Indonesia and PPRDI in the Philippines, and the CGN, the Netherlands. The project is coordinated by the PEDIGREA Foundation.

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FARMERS and SEEDS:

The Farmer Breeders in Indramayu District, West Java, Indonesia

ISBN 979-98088-4-2