Webinar on farmers’ varieties and landraces: conservation through management on-farm

29 April 2024 | 11:00 to 13:00 CEST

Background
Farmers’ varieties/landraces are those crop varieties which are the product of breeding and/or selection carried out by farmers over many generations and tend to be characterized by high levels of phenotypic and genotypic diversity. The continuous replacement of farmers’ varieties and landraces by modern cultivars implies the loss of adaptability traits provided by these heterogeneous traditional materials and may affect resilience of small-holder farming systems.

The importance of farmers’ varieties/landraces is recognized by international conventions and instruments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Treaty) and the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Second GPA).

Objective
The objective of the webinar is to raise awareness of the contribution of farmers’ varieties/landraces to food security and nutrition, highlight relevant initiatives and facilitate knowledge exchange among diverse stakeholders on their conservation and sustainable use.

The conservation and sustainable use of farmers’ varieties/landraces contribute to better production and better environment, as envisioned in FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31, and hence to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, especially SDG 2, which focuses on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

PROVISIONAL AGENDA