Smallholder-developed "Hybrid Systems" as An Underutilized Resource:
The PLEC Experience
Miguel Pinedo Vasquez, PLEC Scientific Coordinator, Columbia University,
New York, NY 10027-6902, USA, Email: map57@columbia.edu
ABSTRACT
Smallholder production and conservation practices are important and available resources that
continue to be underutilized by most programs that aim to reduce rural poverty, environmental
degradation, erosion of biological diversity and other problems affecting rural communities
around the world. Reluctance on the part of the development and conservation communities to
consider and use locally-developed technologies and practices may stem from a view of local
practices as low-yielding, antiquated and inadequate in the face of economic, social, and
environmental change. The PLEC project, sponsored by UNU and implemented by teams in
twelve countries has developed new approaches and methods to identify, test, demonstrate and
promote technologies and practices that, although locally-developed, are profitable, flexible, and
biodiversity-friendly. Over ten years PLEC has worked with successful and innovative
technologies that are often "hybrid" systems that combine modern and traditional production
techniques and inputs. These systems are effective tools for helping smallholders to deal with
changes produced by unstable markets, shifting national policies and global trends, as well as
with environmental fluctuations. PLEC has concentrated on identifying the” expert farmers" who
are the developers of these innovative practices and on incorporating them and their communities
into research, demonstration, and outreach activities. Empowering "expert" farmers and upscaling
their agricultural technologies and conservation practices to other households and communities
has been shown to have major impacts on local development, conservation, and the well-being of
rural families. PLEC is now focused on mainstreaming its approaches into national and
international policies and training institutions to bring such benefits to a wider sample of projects,
countries, and communities. The chances of success of global initiatives in agro-ecology, ecoagriculture and other environmentally-friendly and pro-poor programs can be greatly enhanced if
"expert" farmers and their agrodiversity and conservation practices are given a central role.