Finding and Filling the Knowledge Gaps on Agricultural Biodiversity and Smallholder Farmer livelihoods

From 10 – 12 October 2011 a group of academics and practitioners met in Thika, Kenya to discuss biodiversity for small holder famers in the view or resilience and transformation. The meeting was organised by Oxfam Novib and Hivos and took place at the SACDEP Training and Conference Centre. PELUM, whose office is situated at the SACDEP compound, kindly assisted the initiators with the preparations for the meeting and hosted the group. The meeting brought together 28 participants (54% women) from 11 countries. We all flew in, like a flock of birds to then settle down for a brief period on the beautiful compound of SACDEP. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the needs for, and the content of, a three year knowledge programme on agricultural biodiversity small holder farmers and climate change with a group of academics and practioners. The draft mapping report (to be found on the D group), based on a literature review and extensive interviews, produced by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, as well as the wide experience of the participants, provided the basis for this meeting. The shared interest of all present was that small holder farmers, pastoralists, fisher folk, forest dwellers (men and women) are enabled to contribute to, and benefit from, biodiversity based and climate proof production systems.