FARMING FOR THE FUTURE

In countries where agriculture is the basis of the economy, poor agricultural systems undermine development by pushing up the cost of food, capital, and other commodities. In developing countries, more than half of the labour force works in agriculture.

Scarce food, water, and land resources lead to environmental degradation, poverty, conflict, and migration. Improving agriculture can increase production, raise incomes, and replenish depleted natural resources.

Research to increase yields on limited land, improve water management, and reduce the use of harmful chemicals forestalls the destruction of forests and wildlife, improves the quality of our food, and preserves our water supplies.

The three biggest killers of children in developing countries - malaria, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections - work hand-in-hand with malnutrition. Food security is necessary for health programmes to be successful.

Poor living standards and uncertain food supplies contribute to out-of-control population growth and the downward spiral of poverty. Better agriculture unleashes economic growth, raises incomes, and leads to smaller, healthier families.

Diversity for development

Our ability to use agriculture to improve our lives and those of our children depends on a crucial characteristic of all lifeforms - genetic diversity. Plant genetic diversity provides species with the ability to adapt to changing stresses, such as pests and diseases or drought. It is an insurance against adverse conditions and a source of improved quality and yield traits for crop improvement. The wise use and management of genetic diversity allows us to feed the world's poor without destroying the fragile environment.

Yet much of this plant genetic diversity has now been lost. Of the several thousand plant species used in the past for food, only about 150 are cultivated today and just three - rice, wheat, and maize - supply nearly 60 per cent of the calories and protein derived from plants. The most significant loss of diversity has taken place in recent decades. A report prepared by China in preparation for the 1996 International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources found, for example, that of the approximately 10,000 wheat cultivars grown in that country in 1949, only about 1000 were still being grown in the 1970s.

Genetic resources and the CGIAR

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was founded in 1971 to improve the well being of the rural poor. The CGIAR works by increasing the productivity of crops and improving the management of natural resources.

The 16 Research Centres of the CGIAR, including IPGRI, use plant genetic resources as major weapons in their fight against hunger. Theirs is the foremost international effort for the long-term conservation and management of crop, forage, and multi-purpose tree germplasm. Over the years, the Centres have compiled the world's largest and most important ex situ collections of genetic resources critical to developing country agriculture. Today, eleven CGIAR Centres hold almost 600,000 of the estimated 6 million plant accessions stored around the world.

The CGIAR collections are even more significant than the numbers would indicate. FAO's 1998 Report on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture estimates that there are between one and two million unique plant samples in long-term conservation. On this basis, the Centre collections account for as much as 30 per cent of the world's holdings of unique samples conserved long term. For the food crops of greatest concern to the CGIAR, this proportion is even higher.

Centre scientists study and monitor the collections to learn about the uses and the special traits and characteristics of the plant genetic resources they contain. This information helps them to use the genetic resources to improve crops for developing country farmers.

The genetic resources in the genebanks were collected by Centre scientists and their national partners or donated by the countries where they originated because of their potential to contribute to development. The Centres do not own the material but serve as trustees, ensuring that this global resource is protected and available for study and use. All genetic resources held by the Centres are freely available to researchers, breeders, and farmers.

In 1994, the Centres formalised their status as trustees by signing legally binding agreements with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The Agreements confirm the CGIAR's commitment to hold the collections in trust on behalf of the world community. Among other things, this commitment requires that Centres make certain the collections are conserved according to certain internationally agreed standards, that they are available without restriction to anyone who needs them, and that they remain in the public domain.

Science has achieved a great deal in the past three decades with regard to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources, but there is no room for complacency. In the coming years, our reliance on these resources can only increase. A world population growth of 90 million people a year means that by the year 2025 food production will have to double to keep pace with new demand. The CGIAR's experience indicates that the system can play a significant role in constructing an effective international effort for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources in partnership with governments, NGOs, and local communities.

Introduction  º  Farming for the Future  º  Crops of Truth  º  Treasure of the Andes  º  Growing Demand - Can We Feed Eight Billion?  º  Going Back to our Roots  º  Last Plant Standing - The Broadcast Series  º  Recommended Reading  º  TVE Films