Factors influencing farm genetic diversity of sorghum in northern and eastern Uganda

Loss of diversity in plant genetic resources has become a matter of increasing concern for nations due to challenges associated with climate change and feeding the ever increasing world population. The diversity within plant genetic resources is required to guard against any future challenges making the conservation of these resources critical. On farm conservation, a subset of insitu conservation has become one of the most popular methods of conserving plant genetic resources as it encourages utilization as well as facilitates continued natural evolution of the crops while in the field. Mitigating loss of plant genetic diversity on farm will require understanding of farmers’ crop management decisions, factors that influence their decision on whether to conserve genetic diversity as well as understanding farmer knowledge and perceptions of diversity. The purpose of this study therefore was to determine the factors influencing farmers to conserve or discard sorghum varieties on their farms in Eastern and Northern Uganda. This study utilized a quantitative research approach where data were obtained through a survey. The data were subsequently tabulated and responses summarised and expressed in percentages. Preliminary results indicate that market and culture have a major influence on the types of sorghum grown by the farmers in the three districts. Of the three districts, Agago had the most sorghum diversity having a total of 19 sorghum types identified by farmer names. The conservation of diversity within the communities in this district can be attributed to their culture of seed sharing among farmers, neighbours and mothers passing on seed to their daughters. In Agago, sorghum is majorly grown for home consumption, while in Apac and Serere, farmers were market oriented and tended to discard sorghum types that did not have ready market. The study is still on-going but it is hoped that the information generated will contribute to designing appropriate strategies to mitigate losses of diversity in sorghum, an important staple food in the Eastern and Northern Uganda.