The challenge to preserve the world's agricultural crop diversity as a resource for future food security will be discussed in Canberra tomorrow (Wednesday, 23 March).

Agrifood Awareness Australia will host a seminar by Mr Julian Laird, Director of Development at the Global Crop Diversity Trust, head-quartered in Rome. Mr Laird will outline the progress of the newly established Trust and its role in meeting the food needs of a growing global population.

"We are delighted to host Julian Laird in Australia to talk about the work of the Global Crop Diversity Trust in preserving the world's agricultural crop genetics", said Professor John Lovett, Chairman, Agrifood Awareness Australia Limited and observer on the Trust's Interim Panel of Eminent Experts.

"The Global Crop Diversity Trust has been established to halt the loss of irreplaceable crop diversity so that genes from current and past crops and their wild relatives can be harnessed for future varieties," said Mr Julian Laird.

"The United Nations predicts that the world population will pass nine billion by 2050, an extra two and a half billion mouths to feed, and without a concerted effort now to protect our agricultural raw materials we will simply not be able increase yields to meet this predicted demand," said Mr Laird.

"The Global Crop Diversity Trust was established to provide a continuous and reliable source of funding to preserve crop genetics around the world, and it hopes to raise in excess of $260 million to do this," said Mr Laird.

"Agricultural biodiversity is under threat from habitat destruction and displacement by improved varieties," said Mr Laird. "As a result, guaranteeing facilities to conserve, manage and reproduce the diversity of crop varieties into the future is integral and the growing number of governments, industry and foundations supporting the Trust reflect this."

According to the Trust, there are well over a million crop varieties which have evolved over thousands of years through a dynamic interaction between nature and careful selection and breeding by farmers and plant scientists.

"All of Australia's food crops have been introduced from other countries, so we rely completely on the genetic diversity that exists elsewhere," said Professor Lovett.

Australia generously contributes to the work of the Global Crop Diversity Trust through AusAid, the Australian Government's overseas aid program, and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

BACKGROUND

The Global Crop Diversity Trust is being set up by a partnership between the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It will serve as an element of the fundraising strategy of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which came into force in 2004. To achieve its aims, the Trust will raise and disburse funds and, in particular, build and manage an endowment whose proceeds will provide a permanent source of financial support for collections around the world.

The mission of the Trust is to ensure the long-term conservation and use of crop diversity for food security worldwide. The Trust will:

• promote and assist the development of an efficient and effective system for conserving crop diversity around the world;
• help salvage the word's most important collections of crop diversity and guarantee their permanent healthy and safe management;
• provide funds to upgrade and build the capacity of collections seeking to become eligible for ongoing support.

For further information: www.startwithaseed.org