Biodiversity for food and agriculture is among the earth’s most important resources. Crops, farm animals, aquatic organisms, forest trees, micro-organisms and invertebrates - thousands of species and their genetic variability make up the web of biodiversity in ecosystems that the world’s food and agriculture production depends on.  

This biodiversity is indispensable, be it insects pollinating plants, microscopic bacteria needed for making cheese, diverse breeds of livestock needed for making a living even in the harshest of environments, or the thousands of varieties of crops sustaining food security worldwide. For thousands of years, humankind has used, developed and relied on biodiversity for food and agriculture.  

Biodiversity, and in particular genetic diversity, is being lost at an alarming rate. With the erosion of these resources mankind looses the potential to adapt to new socio-economic and environmental conditions, such as population growth and climate change.

Maintaining biodiversity for food and agriculture is a global responsibility. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a permanent forum where governments discuss and negotiate matters relevant to biodiversity for food and agriculture. The main objectives of the Commission are to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilization of genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use, for present and future generations.