.61 General

.611 The Division's objective is to assist FAO Members to develop sustainable agricultural systems which will improve crop and grassland productivity and create conditions for enhanced food security and general economic development. It does so by promoting policies, strategies and programmes aimed at conserving and sensibly developing agriculture's biological resource base in partnership with farmers and rural peoples.

.612 The Division places particular attention to the conservation of plant genetic resources, their development and utilization through plant breeding and seed production, and their protection from field to market. In this connection, the Division provides policies, strategies and programmes, provides technical support to international agreements, promotes appropriate technologies, and offers information services.

.62 Organizational Structure

• Office of the Director (AGPD)
• Crop and Grassland Service (AGPC)
• Plant Protection Service (AGPP)
• Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service (AGPS)

.63 Office of the Director (AGPD)

Activities

1. Advises the Assistant Director-General, AG, regional and sub-regional representatives in matters relating to the Division's fields of activity.
2. Ensures liaison and coordination with, and supplies information, guidelines and support to FAO Members, UN and specialized agencies, other global, regional and national bodies and various segments of the Organization, including regional and sub-regional offices.
3. Exercises overall management responsibility including planning, supervising and ensuring the implementation of the approved Programme of Work and Budget (PWB) in the Division's field of competence. Provides budgetary and administrative oversight, supervising staff, and coordination with other concerned units of FAO.
4. Coordinates the planning of the programme of work and ensures its technical quality and implementation through staff and non-staff resources at all locations (Headquarters and decentralized offices).
5. Ensures the appraisal of field projects, the identification of programmes and projects in collaboration with its decentralized structures, and the provision of specialized support, on request from TC Department, in the formulation or implementation of projects, preferably through its decentralized structures. It also ensures the technical quality of the Field Programme to an acceptable standard, through the appraisal of project documents and clearance of technical and terminal reports. Provides technical support to the WFP projects, if applicable.
6. Develops and provides technical guidance and support to special action programmes.
7. Provides advice, assistance and support to governmental policies and strategies in collaboration with the Policy Assistance Division (TCA) and the regional policy assistance groups.
8. Provides leadership, coordination or assistance, as required, to UN and specialized agencies, and other global, regional and national bodies in its fields of activity.
9. Promotes and coordinates actions in the divisional fields of activity through collaboration efforts including Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC).
10. Represents the Organization at technical and inter-agency meetings in the Division's fields of activity.

.64 Crop and Grassland Service (AGPC)

.641 The Service provides technical advice to FAO Members on increasing sustainable crop and grassland production through plant improvement, application of plant biotechnology techniques, development of integrated production systems and rational grassland management.

.642 Organizational Structure

• Office of Chief
• Field Food Crops Group
• Horticultural Crops Group
• Industrial Crops Group
• Grassland and Pasture Crops Group

.643 Activities

• Assists FAO Members in developing and implementing programmes to improve crop and fodder production and grassland management through:
  • developing techniques for furthering sustainable crop and grazing land production, including the use of plant biotechnology techniques;
  • promoting regional and national training material to assist technical, managerial and planning staff in developing countries;
  • developing information systems on crop and grassland production and organizing technical meetings, workshops, seminars and symposia to assist in the transfer of technical information;
  • maintaining close working relationships with specialized agencies and international and national organizations dealing with crop and grassland production.
• Assists FAO Members in the planning and execution of programmes and activities to:
  • improve production of food crops, with emphasis on staple cereals, pulses and annual oilseeds, through plant improvement, use of adapted technologies and the development of sustainable production systems;
  • promote the production of horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers and other horticultural staples and ornamentals) so as to improve nutrition and raise farmers' income generation capacity;
  • elaborate national development plans so as to realize the potential for horticultural crop diversification and attain sustainable, efficient production of major horticultural commodities.
• Assists FAO Members in the development of:
  • perennial industrial crops for use both as cash-crops and as integral parts of integrated perennial cropping and agroforestry systems;
  • annual industrial crops, especially oilseeds and fibres, through crop improvement and development of adapted, sustainable production systems;
  • programmes and activities for developing crop diversification programmes using adapted, smaller economic crops.
• Advises and assists FAO Members in the development and execution of programmes and activities on:
  • the rational, sustainable management of grazing lands, especially those managed under traditional systems;
  • on the better production and use of fodder crops in the context of integrated farming and household production system;
  • the utilization of pasture and fodders, especially nitrogen-fixing legumes, in farming rotations as a sustainable source of protein in stock rations and a sustainable method of soil fertility maintenance.
• Provides the Secretariat to the International Rice Commission (IRC).

.65 Plant Protection Service (AGPP)

.651 The Service promotes effective plant protection, which is safe to human health and the environment, so as to avoid or reduce crop losses caused by plant pests, during growth, in transit and in storage. It aims at reducing emergency situations caused by transboundary pests (particularly through EMPRES).

.652 Organizational Structure

• Office of Chief
• Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention
• Pesticides Management Group
• Integrated Pest Management Group
• Locusts, Other Migratory Pests and Emergency Operations Group

.653 Activities

• Provides the Secretariat to the International Plant Protection Convention, which undertakes to:
  • coordinate the identification, preparation and endorsement of international standards for phytosanitary measures and assist FAO Members in their implementation;
  • prepare guidelines on the safe exchange of plant germplasm;
  • act as a medium for information exchange on plant quarantine regulations and on the distribution of pests of quarantine significance;
  • assist FAO Members to establish regional plant protection organizations and help these organizations to coordinate their activities;
  • assist FAO Members in establishing plant protection, including plant quarantine programmes, infrastructures and institutional capacities.
• Assists FAO Members to improve pesticide management through:
  • promoting and monitoring of the provisions of the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides;
  • jointly with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), implementing the procedure for formally obtaining and disseminating the decisions of importing countries concerning future imports of banned or severely restricted pesticides (PIC procedures) and arranging for national training on PIC;
  • jointly with WHO, making recommendations for Maximum Pesticide Residue Levels and Acceptable Daily Intakes of pesticides.
• Assists FAO Members to identify pest problems and implement rational plant protection programmes that are economically viable and take into account human health and the environment, through:
  • studies and information exchange on aspects of pest control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM);
  • policy and technical advice to governments on pest management programmes;
  • technical assistance to FAO Members through training courses, meetings, publications;
  • supporting the implementation of IPM through the Special Action Programme on Integrated Pest Management.
• Assists FAO Members in controlling locusts and other migratory pests through:
  • coordinating all aspects of locust control and research activities;
  • provision of technical advice on all aspects of migratory pest control and promotion of the exchange of technical information on migratory pests;
  • coordination and provision of technical assistance to national, regional and donor inputs in activities and campaigns to control the desert locust and, where appropriate, other migratory pests.

.66 Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service (AGPS)

.661 The Service provides technical advice to FAO Members on seed and planting material improvement and production programmes and policies, including seed security, exchange, testing, processing, quality control, storage and utilization. It assists and advises on conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources.

.662 Organizational Structure

• Office of Chief
• Seed Group
• Plant Genetic Resources Group
• Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

.663 Activities

• Assists FAO Members in the development of seed and planting material related activities in:
  • the establishment of global, regional and national policies on seed and planting material production, improvement, quality control, and exchange;
  • the identification and formulation of global, regional and national programmes for seed and planting material production and improvement;
  • the provision of seed and planting material samples for experimental purposes, the development of a related seed information system and support to the establishment of the World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources;
  • the organization and implementation of national and regional training programmes and activities on modern seed and planting material improvement techniques;
  • the organization of technical meetings, conferences and symposia on transfer of new technologies to developing countries on seed and planting material production/ propagation, quality control, processing/storage, distribution and utilization.
• Assists FAO Members in the conservation and use of genetic resources for food and agriculture in:
  • the implementation of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture's recommendations on conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources;
  • the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and UNCED's Agenda 21 programme on conservation and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources for food and sustainable agriculture ;
  • the coordination and management of the Special Action Programme on Conservation, Use and Development of Plant Genetic Resources;
  • the development and monitoring of the International Network of ex situ collections and in situ conservation areas;
  • the development of the World Information and Early Warning System on PGR and preparation of periodic reports on the State of the World's PGR, and the rolling Global Plan of Action;
  • the development of specific activities related to collection, conservation, regeneration, genetic diversity assessment, evaluation, documentation and use of plant genetic resources for crop improvement.
• Provides the Secretariat of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and monitors and coordinates the preparations for the Commission meetings and the work for its Inter-governmental Sectorial Technical Working Groups, where established. The Secretariat undertakes to:
  • monitor the development of the International Undertaking and the Global System on Plant Genetic Resources, and ensure the implementation of other recommendations and decisions of the Commission by FAO Members;
  • liaise and coordinate work related to the Commission with other FAO divisions, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and other relevant organizations (e.g., the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Centres, and the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute);
  • prepare technical and policy studies, analyses and reviews to facilitate the work of the Commission.