The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has called for conserving biodiversity in agriculture. The Organisation, supported by seed activists and scientists, maintains that only through preserving genetic diversity in food crops can humanity hope to create a resilient food system, leading to food and nutrition security.

In a publication released this week, Genebank Standards for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, FAO outlines new international standards for the many repositories (called genebanks) around  the world that store seeds and other materials used to reproduce plants, as well as living plants in the field. Though voluntary, FAO said on Thursday that it hopes the guidelines will bring into line diverse efforts to preserve diversity and improve the conservation of food crops.

More than 7 million samples of seeds, tissues and other plant-propagating materials from food crops, along with their wild relatives, are safeguarded in about 1,750 genebanks worldwide.

Well-managed genebanks help to preserve genetic diversity and make it available to breeders and other scientists, who can then use it to develop and share improved varieties, including those adapted to particular agro-ecological conditions.

Ren Wang, FAO Assistant Director-General, commented on Thursday, "As the world's population grows and continues to face a wide range of climate, environmental and other challenges, maintaining a healthy variety of seeds and other plant genetic resources for the benefit of people in all countries will be essential to keeping agricultural and food systems sustainable and resilient, generation after generation."

FAO's genetic resources spokesperson Linda Collette added, "Genebanks help bridge the past and the future by ensuring the continued availability of plant genetic resources for research and for breeding new varieties that meet the consumers’ continually evolving needs and a changing climate. They help us to conserve plant genetic resources and to improve them; they also help countries to share and exchange genetic resources with each other."

Wide range of application

The standards address a wide range of issues, including techniques for collecting samples; consistent labelling; protection from fungi, bacteria, pests and physical stress factors; viability and genetic integrity testing; and, developing strategies for the rapid multiplication of samples for distribution. However, they remain non-binding.

The world's genebanks differ greatly in the size of their collections and the human and financial resources at their disposal. FAO said it hopes the Standards will help genebank managers strike a balance between scientific objectives, resources available, and the objective conditions under which they work.

The Standards stress the importance of securing and sharing material along with related documentation in line with national and international regulations. They are an important tool in implementing the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, both of which support countries in the conservation and sustainable use of crop diversity.