‘Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture’ or PGRFA means any genetic material of plant origin of actual or potential value for food and agriculture. PGRFA include cultivated varieties of plant species (landraces and modern cultivars), wild plant species with potential as trait donors to crops (crop wild relatives, or CWR), and wild-harvested species used for human and animal food. PGRFA include seeds and all other plant genetic material, such as tubers, mature plants, planting material, plant breeders’ material, advanced lines, elite varieties and DNA. PGRFA are the raw material that form the basis of all crop varieties. This material can be used to develop new varieties or improve the quality and productivity of crops.

Genetic resources are critical for the development of new plant varieties that can thrive in changeable and uncertain environmental conditions. They are an integral component of efforts to:

• meet human needs for food, nutrition, health and economic security;
• promote biodiverse production systems;
• enhance adaptation to climate change (changing weather patterns or extreme weather events) and ever-evolving pests and diseases; and
• build resilience in agricultural production and rural livelihoods.

Although farmers have always adapted their cropping systems to adverse climatic and environmental conditions, the speed and complexity of current climate change coupled with rapid population growth have posed a new magnitude of challenges. Adapting crop varieties to local ecological conditions can reduce risks arising from climate change and food insecurity, but the need for adapted germplasm is urgent and requires characterization, evaluation and the availability of materials.

The essence of conserving PGRFA is to maintain the ability to use the diversity of traits that they contain for improvements in agricultural production. Article 5 of the International Treaty refers to the conservation of PGRFA. There are two main methods of conservation of crop diversity: ex situ and in situ conservation. In its Article 2, the International Treaty defines ex situ conservation as “the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture outside their natural habitats” and in situ conservation as “the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated plant species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties, which can be on farm”.  

Examples of actions to enhance conservation of PGRFA:

• Survey and inventory PGRFA
• Promote the collection of PGRFA
• Promote or support farmers’ and local communities’ efforts to conserve PGRFA
• Promote in situ conservation of wild crop relatives and wild plants for food production
• Cooperate to promote the development of an efficient and sustainable system of ex situ conservation
• Monitor the maintenance of the viability, degree of variation, and the genetic integration of collections of PGRFA

Sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture can be understood as the use of PGRFA in support of a system of agriculture that produces and facilitates access to sufficient food for all people and contributes to livelihoods and socioeconomic development, while protecting the environment. Article 6 of the International Treaty refers to sustainable use of PGRFA. Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture can be sustainably used by farmers for food production, or by reseachers for crop improvement.

Examples of actions to enhance sustainable use of PGRFA: 

• Pursuing fair agricultural policies that promote the development and maintenance of diverse farming systems
• Strengthening research that enhances and conserves biological diversity by maximizing intra- and inter-specific variation for the benefit of farmers
• Promoting plant breeding efforts, with the participation of farmers, particularly in developing countries
• Broadening the genetic base of crops and increasing the range of genetic diversity available to farmers
• Promoting, as appropriate, the wider use of diversity of varieties and species in on-farm management
• Reviewing and adjusting breeding strategies and regulations concerning variety release and seed distribution

The International Treaty’s webpage on Conservation and Sustainable Use of PGRFA provides information on this topic, while the Educational Module on Conservation and Sustainable Use of PGRFA offers online training and further reading resources. Articles 5 and 6 are outlined in detail in the Text of the International Treaty and the latest decisions regarding both these articles are available in Resolution 06/2022.

The Toolbox is an online database of resources on the management and sustainable use of PGRFA. It contains publications, reports, research and studies, together with other relevant information resources from various organizations and bodies worldwide, including research and academic institutions, intergovernmental bodies, and national and international agricultural research institutions. The Toolbox is divided into two repositories – technical resources and policy resources – of information resources relevant to the management and sustainable use of PGRFA.

The Toolbox is designed for anyone looking for information or guidance on policies, strategies and activities that can promote and enhance the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, particularly at national and local levels.

The Toolbox and associated information are available here.

According to the International Treaty, each Contracting Party shall ensure the conformity of its laws, regulations and procedures with its obligations as provided in the International Treaty. 

The Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Conservation and Sustainable Use of PGRFA is charged with performing tasks assigned to it by the Governing Body. It provides inputs to the Secretariat to develop future strategies for conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA.

Further information about ACSU is available here.