PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: Assessing Global Availability

Abstract

▪ Abstract Plant genetic resources provide the biological underpinning for agriculture and food production. No nation is independent in terms of these resources. Interdependence levels are high among countries. Policy impediments to access may subside, increasing already substantial germplasm flows. Serious questions exist, however, about the health and availability of the actual resources. Genebank collections contain many unintended duplicates, making aggregate numbers seem larger than they really are. Information about individual accessions, particularly those found in situ, is often poor, reducing frequency and efficiency of use and ultimate benefits. Although not firmly established today, the link between conservation and use must be strengthened.

A global perspective of the richness and evenness of traditional crop-variety diversity maintained by farming communities

“…Although these efforts have led to a worldwide network of ex situ gene banks and botanical gardens, these facilities cannot accommodate the full range of useful diversity in economically useful plant species, nor can they conserve the dynamic processes of crop evolution and farmers' knowledge of crop selection and management inherent in the development and evolution of local cultivars (1,2).…”

An integrated agro-ecosystem and livelihood systems approach for the poor and vulnerable in dry areas

“…These genetic resources can provide breeders with the traits needed to adapt plants and animals to heterogeneous and changing environments (Fowler and Hodgkin 2004), and are an important buffer against the effects of climate change and desertification (Maestre et al 2012). However, land degradation and pressure on natural habitats threaten biodiversity in dry areas and farmer behaviour, if not directed otherwise, will generally result in decline in species diversity to meet immediate production objectives (Harvey et al 2011).…”

Crop adaptation to climate change in the semi-arid zone in Tanzania: the role of genetic resources and seed systems

“…The technology and the political economic context are different, but genetic diversity is the raw material for adaptation both in on-farm crop development and in professional plant breeding. This role of crop diversity is reflected in the term genetic resources, which encompasses seeds, plants and plant parts useful in crop breeding, research or conservation for their genetic attributes [15]. In traditional agriculture, genetic resources for adaptation are sourced from the farmer's own field or through gifts and trade with other farmers, and sometimes through gene flow from other varieties or wild relatives of the crop.…”