Résumé
In Nicaragua, the Centre de cooperation internationale en recherche agronomique pour le developpement (Cirad) together with the Centro international de agricultura tropical (CIAT) conducted a research project from 2002 to 2006 on participatory breeding of sorghums addressed to small farmers located in dry areas. This project was implemented in two regions in collaboration with national agricultural research, several NGOs and local farmers' organizations. With a wide utilization of African germplasm, the applied strategy of decentralized participatory variety selection among inbred genetic materials made it possible to identify various lines well-adapted to local cropping systems, bringing significant gains in yield and earliness compared with local cultivars and with adequate grain quality for making tortillas and other local dishes. In comparison with a conventional centralized program, this strategy makes it possible to diffuse a new variety more rapidly with a higher probability of large-scale adoption by farmers. Furthermore, it contributes to enlarging genetic diversity and the number of varieties available for these vulnerable low input agro-systems. The current in situ participatory breeding schemes display new and promising genetic materials for medium term with better agronomic performance and responses to diverse production goals.