Central and West Asia and North Africa
Regional Meeting Report

INTRODUCTION

This report contains Part 1 of the responses to the survey prepared by the FAO on the implementation 20 activities of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture:

  1. actions undertaken in each country since mid-1995, and sources of funding;

  2. the main needs of each country with respect to this activity and the main constraints to its implementation;

  3. any opportunities for further actions at national or sub-regional level in the near future;

  4. actions or support required from regional or international organizations.

The information are based on country reports and are organized by sub-regions: East And South Mediterranean sub-region, West Asia sub-region and Central Asia sub-region. Countries considered in the different sub-regions are:

East And South Mediterranean sub-region Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Turkey.
 

West Asia sub-region Afghanistan, Bahrain, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
 

Central Asia sub-region Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikstan and Uzbekistan.

 

In situ Conservation and Development:

  1. Surveying and inventorying Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

  2. Supporting on-farm management and improvement of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

  3. Assisting farmers in disaster situations to restore agricultural systems

  4. Promoting in situ conservation of wild crop relatives and wild plants for food production

     

    Ex situ Conservation and Developmnet:

  5. Sustaining existing ex situ collections

     

    Ex situ Conservation:

  6. Regenerating threatened ex situ accessions

  7. Supporting planned and targeted collecting of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

  8. Expanding ex situ conservation activities

     

    Utilization of Plant in Genetic Resources:

  9. Expanding the characterization, evaluation and number of core collections to facilitate use

  10. Increasing genetic enhancement and base-broadening efforts

  11. Promoting sustainable agriculture through diversification of crop production and broader diversity in crops

  12. Promoting development and commercialization of under-utilized crops and species

  13. Supporting seed production and distribution

  14. Developing new markets for local varieties and "diversity-rich" products

     

    Institutions and capacity building:

  15. Building strong national programmes

  16. Promoting networks for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

  17. Constructing comprehensive information systems for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

     

    In situ Conservation and Development::

  18. Developing monitoring and early warning systems for loss of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

     

    Institutions and capacity building:

  19. Expanding and improving education and training

  20. Promoting public awareness of the value of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture conservation and use

TOC