Decentralized-Participatory Plant Breeding: An Example of Demand Driven Research

The paper describes a model of participatory plant breeding (PPB) developed by The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and used successfully in several countries in West Asia and North Africa. Genetic variability is generated by breeders, selection is conducted jointly by breeders, farmers, and extension specialists in a number of target environments, and the best selections are used in further cycles of recombination and selection.