Diversity fairs are the events organized   to promote conservation and utilization of agricultural bio-diversity. Diversity fair is event exhibiting local bio-diversity to sensitize the community on the value of and use of conserving bio-diversity and to access genetic diversity at community level.

DF is very effective tool to document the diversity richness in the community and total species and their associated information(population, growth habits and status of species/varieties and in addition to identify the rare and unique species.

Fairs are organized by involvement of various stakeholders active in the field of agro-biodiversity management. In Nepal, Local Initiatives for bio-diversity, Research and development(LI-BIRD),National agricultural Research council(NARC), International Plant genetic Resource Institute(IPRI).A number of NGO’s/CBOs have adopted this tool in various projects. MOAC has planned to institutionalize the tools in all 75 districts and already initiated piloting it in 3 districts. A national biodiversity fair was organized jointly by MOFSC, Sahayog (NGO)   and Miss Nepal 2003 in Kathmandu, 2004.

There are certain guiding principles for the organization of Diversity fairs:

Ø  DF promotes working through group approach rather than individual and encourages representation of women, poor and disadvantage community members in this group.Species/varietal diversity exhibited in the DF should be from home garden only. DF promotes the intra and inter -specific diversity, encourages to locate rare, local and unique diversity and their custodians. All the species/varieties exhibited in DF should be well documented with the basic information viz. local name, Collection source, seed source, local use values and conservation status.  Participating group should have willingness to share and exchange the information and genetic materials with the villagers for their mutual benefits.

Diversity fairs can be carried out more effectively by raising awareness on agricultural biodiversity and disseminating importance of DF fairs through local papers, local FM radios, Nepal TV and disseminating information through poems, folk songs, Bhajan/Chutka etc.

The major limitation of diversity fair is deviation of the intention of the diversity fair from the promoting of biodiversity conservation and information of diversity to the recreational purpose or entertainment purpose. Along with this there is limitation in the access of poor and rural farmers. All the knowledge regarding to the diversity cannot be fully delivered to people in such short time duration of fair. Although there are some limitation of diversity fair there are some thing that gives us the path for the success of the diversity fair in the conservation of biodiversity. Diversity fair gives us the inventory of the biodiversity of particular place. It gives idea about the firms, agencies, farmers group and individual farmers that are working for the conservation of biodiversity and their effort towards the diversity conservation. From this study we also gained some idea of the importance of diversity fair in the promotion of conservation importance of biodiversity. If the farmers and local bodies concern with diversity conservation work together this fair can lead to the sustainable conservation method of diversity in local as well as national level.