Sociology

Biotechnology

Population

Biology

Agriculture

Biodiversity

Demography

Agricultural biodiversity

Fish farming

Political science

Geography

Ecology

Common carp

Cyprinus

Diversity (politics)

Fishery

Fish <Actinopterygii>

Genetic resources

Agroforestry

Indigenous

Genetic diversity

Aquaculture

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Significance This paper contributes to understanding how traditional agriculture can maintain large genetic diversity. We quantify the effects of traditional farmer activities on the genetic diversity of an indigenous common carp in the 1,200-y-old agriculture heritage rice−fish system. We show that small farmer households interdependently incubating fish fry for their rice−fish farming shape the genetic pattern and help to maintain high genetic diversity of this local common carp. We also show how the traditional practice of mixed culturing of diverse color types potentially promotes genetic diversity. We suggest that the locally adapted ways of traditional farmers obtaining and using local genetic resources for their farming play an important role in the biodiversity of farmed crops and animals. It can become a “hotspot” for genetic diversity conservation in agriculture.

Preservation of the genetic diversity of a local common carp in the agricultural heritage rice–fish system