Conservation and Sustainable Use PGRFA The Role of FAO · 2019-03-06 · Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture ... policies and programmes

Conservation and Sustainable Use PGRFA

The Role of FAO

Arshiya Noorani

Agricultural Officer (PGR),

Seeds and Plant Genetic Resources, FAO

27 February, Madrid, 2019

Outline

Setting the scene

Overview

Focus on crop diversification

Focus on supporting policies

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Setting the scene

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A new paradigm for agriculture, promoted

through the Save and Grow model.

Produce more from less, by conserving

resources, reduce negative impacts on the

environment, and enhancing natural capital

and the flow of ecosystem services.

Key elements:

• Builds on ecosystem services

• Makes more efficient use of inputs

• Conserves and enhances natural resources

www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow

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PGRFA Continuum

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•Collections

• In-Situ

•Ex-Situ

Conservation

•Crop Improvement

•Breeding

•Pre-breeding

Utilization •Seed Sectors

•Formal

• Informal

Delivery

1. Interdependence, Diversity and Exchange of PGRFA2. Crop production with Good Management Practices 3. Implement International Agreements for PGRFA


Genetic Erosion

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Causes include:

unsustainable use of natural resources

habitat conversion

habitat destruction, degradation, homogenization and fragmentation

climate change and natural disasters

changes in agricultural practices and land use

invasive alien species

Broadening the Base

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• Provides household food & nutritional security and incomes

• Biotic and abiotic stress tolerance

• Nutritional quality

• Part of the cropping systems contributing to sustainable intensification

• Target Markets: local, regional, international


Stakeholders


• National/local authorities relevant

• Farmers and local communities

• National research institutions, including genebank curatorsand plant breeders

• Universities and other educational institutions

• Civil society organizations (CSOs), such as farmer- orcommunity-based organizations

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such asprofessional development and conservation organizations

• Private sector

• Regional and international organizations


In Situ Conservation

Crop Wild Relatives: Gaps


• Review and address the capacity needs in the country

• Link conservationists with germplasm users

• Increase characterization and evaluation of crop wild relatives

• Raise public awareness of the importance of crop wild relatives

• Support traditional users of crop wild relatives

• Establish partnerships between all groups of stakeholders


Voluntary guidelines for the conservation and sustainable use of crop

wild relatives and wild food plants

Published in Arabic, English, French and Spanish in print and electronically.

Strategies for Conservation



On-Farm Conservation and Sustainable Use


Well-adapted/local crops

• Includes intraspecific and interspecific crop diversity (indigenous/ traditional crops and varieties)

• Often used in inter-cropping → food security; resilience to economic shocks

• Tend to be adapted to marginal environments → climate resilience

• High levels of micronutrients → dietary diversity

Related initiatives

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• GEF initiatives in Cuba, Mexico, Morocco, China and India

• National initiatives in Armenia and Azerbaijan

• GEF Biodiversity and Nutrition project in Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey

• Local crop diversity conservation and use initiative in Indian Ocean Islands

• Community seed banks: national seed bank linkages in Ecuador



Neglected and Underutilized species (NUS) and potential contribution to achieving Zero Hunger:

• nutrition-dense, climate-resilient, economically-viable and locally available or adaptable as FSF;

• challenges and opportunities for harnessing these less-mainstream food crops encounters

• create an enabling environment

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EX SITU CONSERVATION



Technical support to countries

• Grape germplasm in field genebanks in Armenia

• Local, well-adapted germplasm of hazelnut in Azerbaijan

• Traditional rice varieties were collected and conserved in genebanks in the Philippines

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Genebank Standards for PGRFA


In 2014 Publication of the Genebank Standards (in 6 languages)

Policies and Frameworks

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International Year of Pulses

Rome Declaration on Nutrition

FAO Guidelines for Developing a

National Strategy for Plant Genetic

Resources for Food and Agriculture

FAO Voluntary Guide for National Seed

Policy Formulation

Accra Statementfor a Food Secure

Africa

Cordoba Declaration on

Promising Crops for the XXI Century

International Treaty on Plant Genetic


FAOSecond Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources

for Food and Agriculture

Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic


Nagoya Protocol


Adopted by FAO Council in 2011


Second GPA

• Provides a set of 18 inter-related Priority Activities to

enhance the efficiency of PGRFA conservation and improve

their utilization

• Four main groups of priority activities:

1. In Situ Conservation and Management

2. Ex Situ Conservation

3. Sustainable Use

4. Building Sustainable Institutional and Human

Capacities

Comprehensive and flexible framework to adopt supportive

policies and programmes for PGRFA

Facilitates the implementation of the SDGs, ITPGRFA and

the CBD in the area of agriculture biodiversity


REPORTING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION

OF THE SECOND GPA AND SDG 2.5.1

This is the name of the Conference 23



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Key Technical Gaps

• Biotechnology & informatics advance but are poorly understood – not well integrated into some national breeding programs

• Lack of quality seed a major constraint to optimal production and utilization

• Under-represented in genebanks and lack of knowledge of conservation status

Plant breeding needs a boost to increase use of diversity!

• New capacities and funds are needed to reorient breeding programmes

• Studies on crop diversity to tackle climate, pests, malnutrition

• Public – private partnerships [e.g. AOCC/Mars/UC Davis]


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FAO Measures:

• Efficient conservation of PGRFA

• Strengthened linkages between

PGR collection holders and

users.

• Improved PGRFA use to address

national crop improvement

goals.

• Strengthened linkages between

crop improvement and the seed

delivery sectors.

• Implementation of national rules

and legislations.

FAO Tools:

• Second GPA and PGRFA

indicators

• SOW and Country Reports

• Ex situ: Genebank Standards

• In situ/on-farm: Guidelines

• Pre-breeding /plant Breeding

Planning and Assessment Tool

• National Seed Policy Guidelines

• Seed Toolkit



Moving forward

• Gap analysis and identification of constraints to fully understand the demands on the ground

• Multidisciplinary & multi-stakeholder

• Increased focus on value chain interventions

• Foster linkages among existing networks

• Continual learning and adaptive management

• Participatory and user-friendly monitoring

• Strengthened stakeholder capacity

Thank you!

[email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Conservation and Sustainable Use PGRFA The Role of FAO · 2019-03-06 · Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture ... policies and programmes