Work officially got under way in Waga-Waga in late 1993, following several years of informal contacts with Indonesian scientists. A joint CIP-Indonesian team subsequently selected 450 landraces as indicative of the genetic diversity found in the area and developed a multidisciplinary approach suited to tapping local research opportunities.

During field trips to Irian Jaya in 1993-94, teams of Indonesian-speaking agronomists and social scientists worked together to obtain information on tribal culture, cropping systems, and the role of women in the crop's selection-to-consumption cycle. Participating institutions included Cenderawasih University and the Central Research Institute for Food Crops.

The effort was aided by the pioneering interest of a Waga-Waga community elder with an instinct for conservation, Iordan Surabut, who began talking with Indonesian extension workers about the need to conserve local landraces as early as 1990.

Once the project got under way, anthropologist Jurg Schneider says, the community selected a seven-hectare garden compound for its genebank. The area was cleared, fenced, and prepared for planting. Care was also taken to ensure that space was available for spiritual rites. An elder in charge of customary practices for land fertility was brought in to bless the field.

The first planting took place in February 1994. For the harvest the following November, Surabut invited elders from neighboring communities, who now want to get involved in preserving varietal diversity.

"Although our perception of what's going on may be quite different from theirs," Schneider says, "I am convinced that continuing this activity in community conservation is invaluable." Having the community involved in the conservation of its genetic resources is a gateway to its participation in future research.

"We believe indigenous knowledge associated with varieties can help determine desirable attributes more efficiently," Schneider contends. "In the case of Irian Jaya, farmer knowledge should help us identify cold-adapted varieties, or ones that are suited to different soil or storage conditions."