Plant genetics and food resources were discussed by delegates attending a U.N. meeting Monday in Tunis, Tunisia, officials said. The delegates from 120 countries are seeking agreement on ways to speed up the benefits-sharing aspects of the 2004 International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said in a news release. "No country is self-sufficient in plant genetic resources; all depend on genetic diversity in crops from other countries and regions. International cooperation and open exchange of genetic resources are therefore essential for food security," the food agency said. "Climate change has made this challenge even more pressing as there is a need to preserve all the crops developed over millennia that can resist cold winters or hot summers." Biodiversity is declining sharply because of agricultural modernization, changes in diet and increasing population density, the agency said. The agency said about three-quarters of the genetic diversity found in agricultural crops has been lost during the last century.

Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/01/UN-food-unit-opens-plant-genetics-forum/UPI-43351243895968/

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