FAO’s work in the field of animal genetics takes a broad approach – addressing technical, policy and institutional issues, and taking account of interactions with other aspects of natural resource management, production system dynamics and general economic development

FAO supports countries in a number of ways, including by:

• providing technical and policy-related training in areas such as the development of national strategies and action plans for animal genetic resources, institutional development, molecular genetic analysis, cryo- and in vivo conservation, and animal identification, traceability and performance recording;
• providing countries with support in policy development, drafting legislation and strategic planning;
• publishing technical guidelines on specific aspects of animal genetics;
• hosting the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS);
• operating the DAD-Net e-mail discussion network; and
• publishing the journal Animal Genetic Resources.