The implementation of the Articles 5 and 6 of the Treaty
Crop diversity is one of the most fundamental resources on earth, on which the food security, nutrition and well-being of people depend. In recognition of the threats posed by global changes, the world community has taken measures with the aim to ensure crop genetic diversity is properly conserved and used sustainably
Implementation of Articles 5 and 6 is a standing priority item on the agenda of the Governing Body of the International Treaty, with the aim of promoting an integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) among Contracting Parties.
Articles 5 and 6 of the International Treaty provide guidance to countries regarding measures and activities to be undertaken to promote the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA. An important component of Article 5 – Conservation, Exploration, Collection, Characterization, Evaluation and Documentation of PGRFA – is the characterization and evaluation of crops and their potentially useful traits that would be needed for the development of new crop varieties. Article 5 also highlights the importance of adopting a complementary approach between in situ and ex situ conservation. Article 6 – Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources – particularly focuses on the importance of maintaining diverse farming systems and on implementing participatory approaches to plant breeding. It also promotes on-farm management of crop diversity, in order to reduce genetic erosion and increase food production in a sustainable manner. This article proposes a series of measures to promote the sustainable use of PGRFA and calls on Contracting Parties to develop and maintain appropriate policy and legal measures to that end.
The Importance of Conserving and Sustainably Using PGRFA
The Importance of Conserving and Sustainably Using PGRFA
Plant genetic resources play an important role in meeting the challenges of local, regional and global food security and nutrition, as they allow us to optimize and adapt crops according to our needs.
Genetic resources are therefore critical for the development of new plant varieties and are an integral component in efforts to:
- meet human needs for food, nutrition, health and economic security;
- promote biodiverse production systems and reduce adverse impacts of agriculture (chemical inputs, ploughing, etc.) on the environment;
- enhance adaptation to climate change (changing weather patterns or weather extreme events) and ever-evolving pests and diseases; and
- build resilience in agriculture production and rural livelihoods
Diversity in species, varieties and cultivation practices has permitted agriculture to withstand moderate changes in climate over the past 10 000 years. Although farmers have always adapted their cropping systems to adverse climatic and environmental conditions, the speed and complexity of current climate change poses a new magnitude of challenges. Adapting crop varieties to local ecological conditions can reduce risks arising from climate change, but the need for adapted germplasm is urgent and requires characterization, evaluation and the availability of materials.
Climate change impacts on crop diversity
Climate change impacts on crop diversity
Climate change is generating new and enhanced demand for plant genetic resources. National and international breeding programmes for a number of crops are already targeting new varieties with adaptations to emerging and future climatic stresses. These efforts to breed for traits necessary for both current and future challenges are likely to increase the general demand for diverse plant genetic resources. While demand for such resources is global, their natural distribution is restricted to the centres of origin or diversity of crops, sometimes to specific sub-regions within continents.
The current situation and evolving conditions reinforce the necessity of conserving the available resources and their diversity in order to avoid irreplaceable loss. In so doing, it is important that on-farm and in-situ conservation are implemented within the context of agricultural development strategies.
The International Treaty strongly promotes the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources, which are two of its main objectives. The conclusion and subsequent ratification of the International Treaty by 150 countries implies that most governments recognize the importance of plant genetic resources, including threats to the continued existence and availability of these resources, and the need to develop specific policies in order to conserve them and promote their wider use. Plant genetic resources are firmly on the international agenda and have attracted the attention of policy-makers, politicians and a broad range of other stakeholders.