Conservation of Cultural And Genetic Diversity

IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The preceding results lead to some unexpected conclusions. One is that adaptation, or, for that matter, adoption, is not a somber unilinear process that involves a purposive elimination of "less fit" or "less desirable" options. The data on indigenous knowledge and technology, reasons behind agricultural practices, and local criteria for classification and evaluation of varieties all point to the fact that what is desirable and what is not is really a matter of taste, a matter of timing, and sometimes even a matter of mood. In other words, agricultural decision making by local farmers may not be a question of systematic "elimination by aspects" (Travesky 1972) but more of muddling through, or examining by trial-and-error the various options that are perceived to be available and accessible, reflecting what Keesing (1978) referred to as a "partial and situational ad hoc quality of folk models."

From the data on local evaluation of sweet potato varieties in Intavas and Salvacion, we can see that decision making involves the consideration of a range of criteria perceived in a gestalt manner, such that varieties may be retained not because they possess all the desirable attributes but because there are compensatory traits, which make their cultivation worthwhile. This is the reason why farmers of Bukidnon easily empathize with people expressing concern over genetic erosion, citing some delicious varieties that were lost and lamenting the fact that they can no longer find planting materials for these varieties.