Rome, Italy and Tunis, Tunisia
June 2, 2009
Source:
FAO
Eleven developing countries that
conserve food seeds and other genetic material from major crops
will receive more than $500 000 to support their efforts
according to an announcement made today in Tunis at a high-level
meeting of the governing body of the
International Treaty on
Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Grants are to be awarded to projects in Egypt, Kenya, Costa
Rica, India, Peru, Senegal, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Cuba, Tanzania
and Morocco. It is the first time funds have become available
under the benefit-sharing scheme of the Treaty, designed to
compensate farmers in developing countries for their role in
conserving crop varieties.
The projects were chosen from hundreds of applications and come
on stream thanks to the generous donations of Norway, Italy,
Spain and Switzerland in support of agriculture and food
security.
The projects to be supported include: on-farm protection of
citrus agro-biodiversity in Egypt, the genetic enhancement and
revitalization of finger millet in Kenya and the conservation of
indigenous potato varieties in Peru.
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List of the projects accounced in Tunis (http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/20241/icode/)
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Costa Rica
This project will test useful potato genetic
material for its ability to adapt to climate change.
The stress of climate change represents a major
threat to sustainable agriculture and food security.
The goal of this initiative is to develop varieties
with tolerance to stress by exploiting the existing
biodiversity of the potato. We will explore
varieties of potato from Costa Rica and identify
characteristics that can protect the species from
threats of climate change.
Cuba
This project aims at deepening the conservation of
maize seed and beans, two crops of vital importance
in the sustainability of traditional production
systems in mountainous areas of Cuba. The goal of
this initiative, proposed by the Fundamental
Research Institute on Tropical Agriculture, is to
determine how much diversity exists and what
nutrient inputs are necessary to ensure food
security conserve biodiversity. The goal as well is
to develop molecular techniques to characterize the
diversity covered in the target communities. There
will also be workshops on the management and
purchase of quality seeds, as well as efforts to
determine the impact and efficacy of traditional
storage methods, and identify the nutritional
composition and food consumption and resulting
impact on the family diet.
Egypt
Egypt is one of the top 10 producers of orange in
the world. This two-year project proposed by the
National Gene Bank will integrate farmers into a
national plant genetic resources system, the project
will support conservation of citrus
agro-biodiversity maintained on-farm in partnership
with farmers, local communities as well as
non-government organizations (NGOs). The orange is
one of the most important subtropical fruit crops
grown in Egypt where they are know for their unique
flavor and nutritional value. The main varieties are
Valencia orange, local mandarin and lime , which are
cultivated in the Delta and in the Desert areas.
Kenya
Kenya's finger millet production is down, but
scientists don't think it has to stay that way. In a
two-year project beginning this year, this project
will involve characterization, genetic enhancement
and revitalization of finger millet in western
Kenya. The broad objectives of this project,
proposed by Maseno University, are to improve finger
millet productivity using improved genotypes and to
arrest the decline of finger millet production in
western Kenya. To promote revitalization of finger
millet farming, selected varieties/lines will be
multiplied using farmers and women groups in western
Kenya. Dissemination of selected varieties and
better processing techniques will be done in
participatory with the farmers. Better market
linkages with industrial processors and grain value
addition will be encouraged to ensure
sustainability. This project is intended to
contribute towards enhancement.
Nicaragua
The Apacunca Resource Reserve is the gene bank and
source of genetic variability for improving crops in
Nicaragua. This precious gene pool is threatened, as
3 of 7 varieties of an ancient maize known as
teocintle have disappeared in recent years. Based on
a participatory approach, the Universidad Nacional
Agraria (UNA) will work with farmers to produce
sustainable products and services that generate
additional income to rural families, without
endangering the habitat of eco-system and while
creating a culture of preservation of species of
teocintle and its relatives.
Peru
The project's goal is the conservation and
management of potato varieties in rural communities
on the Capachica Peninsula in Peru. The initiative
will be implemented in the villages, with the
objective of training and teaching rural families to
play an important role in the conservation and
management of potato varieties and aromatic plants
in the wild. Also the project will capture varieties
of potato in these communities and promote those
that successfully control diseases working with poor
farmers in marginal areas where local wheat
varieties are still being grown. The project will be
designed in such a way that the outcomes will
fulfill the needs of local farming communities and
simultaneously enhance conservation efforts on the
ground of wheat genetic resources.
Senegal
The goal of this project is the conservation of
agro-biodiversity in millet, maize and sorghum.
Local cereals represent the main crops grown during
the rainy season in Senegal and occupy alone more
than 90% of total area planted. However, two major
issues are currently weighing on genetic resources:
the progressive loss of genetic diversity and low
variation in the varieties planted.
The objectives of this project, proposed by
l'Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA)
are to: i) conduct more research to strengthen and
preserve biodiversity ii) promote increased use of
varieties adapted to local or conditions and iii)
broaden the genetic base and increase the diversity
of genetic material available to farmers.
Tanzania
This project , proposed by the Selian Agricultural
Research Institute in Tanzania, will lead to
production of seeds of new and old wheat varieties
and identify the most promising for wider
distribution, an effort that will involve famers in
evaluating and identifying varieties that perform
better in their fields. Farmers, farmers groups and
villages will be trained in processing and marketing
quality wheat seeds, with a goal to providing wider
access to small and medium size farms. Data to be
collected includes; date of seeding, germination,
days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, diseases
and grain yield (particularly the amount produced as
seed).
Uruguay
The goal of this project is to expand the genetic
base of the varieties of potato planted in the
region, through the introduction of genes from wild
relatives of the potato. The objective is to
increase the genetic variability of potato
germplasm. This would be done through the
incorporation of disease resistance and desired
traits from wild potato plants. |
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