Articles
Development of national strategies for the conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in some countries of the Near East and North Africa
Article number
1297_2
Pages
9 – 16
Language
English
Abstract
The Near East and North Africa region is the center of origin and domestication for several crops of which many are today considered important for food security and nutrition.
A wide diversity of crop genetic resources is available in natural habitats, under cultivation and conserved in the genebanks.
The continued availability of, and access to, this diversity are threatened by many factors, with climate change and the inadequate management of the resources being the most critical ones.
The diversity of farmer varieties/landraces is eroded by the increasing uniformity of improved cultivars while that of crop wild relatives is eroded by the continuing loss of their natural habitats.
Effective strategies are therefore needed for conserving and using these resources sustainably in order to avert this continuing genetic erosion.
Within the framework of the FAO Technical Cooperation Project, TCP/SNO/3401, Optimizing the Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Adaptation to Climate Change (2013-2015), Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Lebanon developed action plans for the conservation and characterization of plant genetic resources and their utilization in the respective national breeding programs.
The major achievement of the project in the four countries has been the development of national strategies for an optimized management of plant genetic resources following a continuum approach, from conservation (in situ and ex situ), pre-breeding and breeding to seed delivery.
The ultimate aim is to leverage these resources most effectively in improving the resilience cropping systems and hence the overall food security, nutrition and livelihoods of farming communities.
This study reviews the current status of the management of plant genetic resources in the Near East and North Africa, presents the major actions projected/planned in the national strategies and shares the lessons learned in developing the strategy documents which are now helpful tools for monitoring progress and reporting on the implementations of the Second Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals.
A wide diversity of crop genetic resources is available in natural habitats, under cultivation and conserved in the genebanks.
The continued availability of, and access to, this diversity are threatened by many factors, with climate change and the inadequate management of the resources being the most critical ones.
The diversity of farmer varieties/landraces is eroded by the increasing uniformity of improved cultivars while that of crop wild relatives is eroded by the continuing loss of their natural habitats.
Effective strategies are therefore needed for conserving and using these resources sustainably in order to avert this continuing genetic erosion.
Within the framework of the FAO Technical Cooperation Project, TCP/SNO/3401, Optimizing the Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Adaptation to Climate Change (2013-2015), Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Lebanon developed action plans for the conservation and characterization of plant genetic resources and their utilization in the respective national breeding programs.
The major achievement of the project in the four countries has been the development of national strategies for an optimized management of plant genetic resources following a continuum approach, from conservation (in situ and ex situ), pre-breeding and breeding to seed delivery.
The ultimate aim is to leverage these resources most effectively in improving the resilience cropping systems and hence the overall food security, nutrition and livelihoods of farming communities.
This study reviews the current status of the management of plant genetic resources in the Near East and North Africa, presents the major actions projected/planned in the national strategies and shares the lessons learned in developing the strategy documents which are now helpful tools for monitoring progress and reporting on the implementations of the Second Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Authors
L. Chalak, C. Mba, S. Diulgheroff, D. Muhammad
Keywords
Near East and North Africa, plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, climate change and other challenges, national strategy, conservation, utilization, resilience
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