Rome, Italy
October 29, 2007
A new multilateral system for the
fair and equitable sharing of plant genetic resources for food
and agriculture has become operational,
FAO announced today.
Over the past seven months, the system has accelerated the
exchange of genetic material, with more than 90 000 transfers of
plant genetic material within the system.
The Multilateral System is part of the legally-binding
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture that entered into force in 2004 and has been
ratified by 115 countries. Through the International Treaty,
countries have agreed to make their genetic diversity and
related information about the crops stored in their gene banks
available to all who comply with the standarized benefit-sharing
agreements.
Around 300 delegates will meet in Rome (29 October–2 November
2007) for the second session of the Governing Body of the
Treaty.
A treasure for food security
“World agriculture is under enormous pressure to produce more
food in a sustainable way,” said Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of
the Governing Body of the Treaty. “Agricultural production needs
to be improved by developing food crops that can adapt to
threats such as climate change, desertification, pests and
diseases and at the same time meet the demand of a population
that will grow from six billion people today to nine billion in
2050,” he added.
Agricultural biodiversity, which is the basis for food
production, is in sharp decline due the effects of
modernization, changes in diets and increasing population
density. It is estimated that about three-quarters of the
genetic diversity found in agricultural crops have been lost
over the last century, and this genetic erosion continues.
Today, only 150 crops feed most of the world's population, and
just 12 crops provide 80 percent of dietary energy from plants,
with rice, wheat, maize, and potato alone providing almost 60
percent.
Bread, couscous and tortillas
The Multilateral System provides farmers, plant breeders and
scientists free of charge access to plant genetic materials of
64 crops - crops that together account for 80 percent of all
human consumption - and helps to share benefits derived from
their commercial use. These genetic materials are at the base of
our food crops, our breads, our curries, our tortillas and our
couscous.
The System gives scientific institutions, farmers, and private
sector plant breeders the opportunity to work with the materials
stored in gene banks or even crops growing in fields. By
facilitating research, innovation and exchange of information
without restrictions, this reduces the costly and time consuming
procedures for breeders, while recognizing for the first time
Farmers’ Rights.
The world's most important gene bank collections, more than 600
000 samples, held by the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), have been included in the system,
together with the Mutant Germplasm Repository of the FAO/IAEA
Joint Division in Vienna and other collections.
“No country is sufficient in crop diversity. Only the sharing of
plant genetic material from different regions and countries will
enable us to explore the unknown characteristics and the future
potential of plant genetic resources. The Multilateral System is
an important tool for benefit sharing. However, a lot of efforts
still need to be made to facilitate the access to genetic
resources and the sharing of benefits derived from their
commercial use”, Bhatti said.
The Rome conference will discuss issues relevant for the future
of Treaty such as Funding Strategy, Farmers’ Rights and the
sustainable use of resources. |
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