Abstract
Local crop landraces remaining on-farm are readily accessible to those relying on them for their livelihoods, while also contributing to plant genetic resource conservation. Characterization of landraces commonly revolves around traits for deployment in breeding programmes, often overlooking their direct value to the farmers. Rice from the highlands of Northern Thailand, which lie within the centre of diversity of rice (Oryza sativa) and where the crop is predominantly planted with local varieties or landraces, was examined for the grain quality features with direct implications for the local population. Un-husked rice seed, provided by farmers belonging to 10 minority groups who grows rice largely for subsistence, mainly had large grain in contrast to the slender grain type common in the lowlands. The highland grown rice brings direct benefits to the local population with a higher dietary intake of Fe but not Zn. The highlands have also been identified as a rich source of pigmented rice germplasm and an environment favouring the production of premium quality purple rice with high anthocyanin content. On-farm experiments confirmed the effects of genotype and environment and G x E interaction on rice grain zinc and anthocyanin content. Information on the value of local crop germplasm directly beneficial to the local population should facilitate a more sustainable on-farm conservation efforts than rewards offered to the farmers from external funding.