In celebration of the International Year for Fruits and Vegetables, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and the Alliance of Biodiversity International and CIAT will jointly host an Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables Webinar on 14 September 2021, 13.00-16.00 (Ha Noi time). The event aims for knowledge exchange and good practice sharing among countries as well as country perspectives on the mainstreaming of indigenous fruits and vegetables for food, nutrition security and rural development.

The objectives of the event are:

• Highlight the importance of indigenous fruits and vegetables and indigenous custodian farmers in traditional knowledge on the management and use of traditional crops;
• Describe barriers in the utilization of indigenous fruits and vegetables;
• Enumerate success stories and lessons learned linked to the work on mainstreaming indigenous fruits and vegetables in the region; and
• Identify opportunities for convergence among key partners (governments, research, private sector, civil society) to mainstream indigenous fruits and vegetables in the region.