Protection and utilization of agricultural species diversity and genetic diversity in Shexian Dryland Terrace System

Research on dynamic conservation strategies and processes in protecting agrobiodiversity is an essential element of Important Agricultural Heritage Systems conservation. Shexian Dryland Terrace System centered in Wangjinzhuang Village, Shexian County, Hebei Province was recognized as a China-NIAHS (Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) in 2014. This study focused on Wangjinzhuang Village's conservation and utilization of agrobiodiversity, aiming to provide a basis for guiding the in situ conservation and sustainable utilization of the Shexian Dryland Terrace System and to provide a reference for other Important Agricultural Heritage Systems in China and abroad. The field research and baseline data collection were conducted with comprehensive methods, including household surveys, individual interviews, group discussions, and in field experiments in Wangjinzhuang Village in 2019. Systematic research was used to collect abundant agricultural species and traditional farmer varieties, as well as the conservation and utilization experiences and associated technologies in Wangjinzhuang Village. The research identified and registered 77 species, 57 genera, and 26 families, including 171 traditional farmer varieties cultivated or managed in the Shexian Dryland Terrace System. The species included 15 grain crops, 31 vegetable crops, 5 oil crops, 14 fruit crops, and 12 medical, textile, and tobacco plants. The traditional farmer varieties included 62 grain crops, 57 vegetable crops, 7 oil crops, 33 fruit crops, and 12 medical, textile, and tobacco plants. These agricultural species and traditional farmer varieties had been actively passed on by a series of conservation and utilization techniques such as mixed planting, crop rotation, intercropping, and premium seed selection in maintaining agrobiodiversity sustainable for generations. After hundreds of years, local varieties could still meet people's diverse food needs. However, with the rapid development of urbanization and modern agriculture, the conservation and utilization of agrobiodiversity in the Shexian Dryland Terrace System are facing problems such as role conflicts of agricultural institutions, continuous degradation of unique local genetic resources and traditional technologies, confusion over the names of traditional farmer varieties, degradation of germplasm resources, loss of variety diversity due to monoculture, loss of locally adaptive varieties due to the single pursuit of high yield, weakening of terraced agriculture caused by the diversification of farmers' livelihoods, low comparative efficiency of traditional farmer varieties, and lack of awareness of their importance. Given these problems, countermeasures and suggestions are advanced to establish dynamic conservation and adaptive management mechanisms, such as developing featured industries, stimulating farmers' endogenic motivation, organizing and conducting genetic resource surveys, and establishing in situ conservation mechanisms for traditional farmer varieties combined with community seed banks and farmers' self-saved seeds.