International Treaty Joins Global Leaders to Promote Stronger Collaboration for Food Plant Diversity at Crop Diversity Day 2026

New York, United States of America, 25 September 2026 – The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture joined global partners at Crop Diversity Day 2026, held during Climate Week NYC at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), to promote stronger collaboration for the conservation and sustainable use of food plant diversity.

Bringing together experts from the conservation, agriculture, nutrition and research communities, the event highlighted the importance of food plant diversity in building healthier, more resilient and sustainable food systems amid growing climate and food security challenges.

“Food plant diversity is one of humanity's most valuable resources, yet much of it remains underutilized and increasingly threatened,” said Mr Álvaro Toledo, Deputy Secretary of the International Treaty. “The International Treaty helps countries work together to conserve and sustainably use these resources and ensure that their benefits are shared fairly and equitably.”

Strengthening collaboration for food plant diversity

The event showcased a newly published research paper, Enhancing food plant diversity conservation and use through greater coordination between genebanks and botanic gardens, which provides strong evidence for building stronger collaboration among the world's two main conservation communities to help ensure food systems deliver benefits to farmers and consumers through the widest use of plant diversity including in particular through the development of more resilient crops in a changing climate.

The publication reinforces a growing recognition that greater coordination across sectors is needed to unlock the potential of food plant diversity and efficiencies are gained to ensure the long-term conservation of a wide range of edible plants. According to the paper, more than 26 000 plant species are known to have been consumed by humans, including cultivated crops and wild edible plants.  Global modern food production and consumption rely on around 350 crops, many of which are still under-researched. Thousands of edible species and countless locally adapted varieties remain underutilized despite their potential to contribute locally to healthier diets, climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.

From international commitments to practical action

The event also marked the first anniversary of the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants (GCCFP), a growing partnership dedicated to the conservation and use of food plant diversity.

“Research shows how botanic gardens and genebanks already conserve a wide portfolio of plant diversity together, and the two conservation communities are very complementary in terms of the diversity they conserve. By working together each community can fill critical gaps, in terms of taxonomical science, information systems and data infrastructure, improved services to research and innovation pipelines, and public engagement on the importance of plant diversity for humankind” added Mr Toledo.  “Initiatives such as the Global Conservation Consortium for Food Plants help translate international biodiversity commitments into practical collaboration among genebanks, botanical gardens and research institutions,” The International Treaty has long supported efforts to strengthen collaboration across communities of plant curators, researchers and farmers, as part of its mandate to promote the conservation, sustainable use and exchange of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Through its provisions on conservation, sustainable use, Farmers' Rights and the Multilateral System of access and benefit-sharing, the Treaty provides an international framework for collective action to safeguard plant genetic diversity for present and future generations.

About Crop Diversity Day

Crop Diversity Day 2026 was jointly organized in collaboration by the Crop Trust, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

About the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is a legally binding international agreement that provides a framework for the conservation, sustainable use and exchange of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use. The Treaty supports global efforts to strengthen food security, agricultural sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.

For more information: www.fao.org/plant-treaty

#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed
 #CropDiversityDay
 #ClimateWeekNYC
 #FoodPlantDiversity
 #Biodiversity
 #GCCFP