The conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) is crucial for securing world nutrition, conserving biodiversity and the resilience of agriculture, especially in the face of climate change. One of the tasks of the Crop Trust, which was established in 2004 and is based in Bonn, is to sustainably support an international network of gene banks to safeguard plant seed resources. To this end, it finances important gene banks worldwide in which seed samples are stored ex situ, i.e. outside the natural habitat, in order to make them available in the long term both for crop breeding and as backup copies.

The aim of the project is, on the one hand, to improve the gene bank management system of the national and regional gene banks in southern Africa in order to streamline workflows, adapt data collection and documentation to international standards and facilitate data exchange. It also supports the implementation of the Global Strategy for the Conservation of Coffee Genetic Resources. These activities are intended to promote capacity building and enable a more targeted and efficient use of genetic resources for plant breeding. Particular efforts are needed, for example, to align conservation practices in line with global standards and to ensure access to this information as well as to genetic resources.

Project duration: 01.12.2024 – 30.06.2025

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As part of the preparation of the State of the World Report on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Aquatic Genetic Resources (SoW-AqGR, 2019), the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) found that there was no suitable, publicly accessible database for the extensive data submitted. It also became clear that countries were using inconsistent names for species and breeds. To address this problem, the global information system AquaGRIS was developed as part of the GCP/GLO/970/GER project. AquaGRIS prepares information on the genetic diversity of aquaculture organisms according to agreed standards and makes it available to the public. This project is the follow-up project to implement the system after the development of AquaGRIS. The project aims to help countries improve their knowledge of the status of their aquatic resources and strengthen their capacity for long-term monitoring, conservation, sustainable use and development of these resources. The project also supports the implementation phase of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Aquatic Genetic Resources (GPA AqGR). The focus is on capacity building, strengthening monitoring and reporting systems, and establishing AquaGRIS as a global management tool.

Project duration: 15.09.2024 – 31.05.2027

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This project, part of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), aims to strengthen the AEGIS quality system (AQUAS) and extend the data coverage of the European Catalogue of Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO). This will contribute to the sustainable conservation and use of plant genetic resources for research and breeding.

AEGIS (A European Genebank Integrated System) is a virtual European genebank that coordinates genetically unique and important plant accessions. The aim is to efficiently conserve these resources and make them available for research. The AEGIS Quality System (AQUAS) ensures that these accessions are maintained according to common European standards.

The project supports gene banks in adapting their working procedures to the AQUAS standards through the development and publication of manuals. In addition, existing data on plant characteristics will be standardised and integrated into EURISCO to facilitate access for research.

The project activities will thus strengthen the European genebank infrastructure, improve the availability of genetic resources and promote their efficient use. This will contribute to improved breeding and adaptation to challenges such as climate change. In addition, the public will be informed about the importance of plant genetic resources.

Project duration: 01.09.2024 – 31.05.2025

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The project is embedded in the European Cooperation Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) and aims to establish a European evaluation network (EVA) for grain legumes and the basis for a network for perennial crops (berry and fruit tree species). These networks promote the systematic characterisation and evaluation of genetic resources for better use in research and breeding.

Focus on grain legumes: Grain legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas, lupins and faba beans contribute to soil fertility and are important, environmentally friendly sources of protein. The project involves the evaluation of accessions at up to 10 locations in Europe, where phenotypic and genotypic data will be collected according to agreed uniform standards and integrated into the European search catalogue EURISCO.

Perennials: The project will also lay the foundations for a network to evaluate berry and fruit trees to ensure their sustainable use under climate change conditions.

The project will strengthen cooperation between breeding, research and agriculture to optimise the use of genetic resources and further develop protein-producing plants.

Project duration: 01.09.2024 – 31.12.2027

 Read more about EVA

Animal genetic resources for food and agriculture are an essential part of the basis for global food security. The diversity of livestock breeds enables adaptations, for example to changing environmental conditions or consumer demands and genetic developments of existing breeding programmes. However, this diversity is constantly decreasing and the institutional and technical capacity to adequately manage this livestock breed diversity needs support in many countries, especially in developing countries. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) has created an important instrument in the form of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, which was developed on the basis of the first State of the World Report on Animal Genetic Resources. The action plan contains 23 strategic priorities for action in four focus areas, for which a global assessment of implementation is carried out every ten years. The third global assessment of livestock breed diversity is currently underway.

The aim of the project is to produce the draft third State of the World Report based on the data and information reported by member states on the global status of animal genetic resources and the thematic studies. To assist countries in providing relevant information, cost-effective methods for monitoring livestock breed diversity (including honeybees) will be tested and applied and a series of virtual and face-to-face training events on the sustainable management of animal genetic resources will be organised. This will support the national coordinators in fulfilling the reporting requirements for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action. The overall objective of the project is to increase the capacity of national coordinators, particularly in developing countries, and to promote regional networking among stakeholders.

Project duration: 15.12.2022 - 31.12.2025

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The Global Crop Conservation Strategies play a significant role in many ways: they facilitate exchanges among genebanks and influence the development of the global system of ex situ conservation and the multilateral system of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). In recent years, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust) has coordinated the development of 40 of these strategies. An important goal is to improve coordination of conservation efforts among stakeholders, such as gene banks and their users. It has become apparent that there is currently insufficient awareness of conservation strategies among Treaty stakeholders and that the results and recommendations from the strategies are not automatically taken into account.

Therefore, the aim of the project is to integrate the conservation strategies into the processes of the Treaty in order to enable evidence-based decision-making by the actors and to support their implementation. The project will, among other things, analyse the role and guiding function of conservation strategies and their ownership. It will also raise awareness by disseminating information on conservation strategies in relevant Treaty fora, through webinars, and through online materials.

Project duration: 15.12.2022 – 31.12.2025

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The Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Forest Genetic Resources adopted by the FAO Conference in 2013, identified the availability of, and access to, information on forest genetic resources (FGR) as one of the priority areas for further action by countries and the international community. The First Report on the implementation of the Global Plan of Action was presented to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) in February 2019. The preparation of this report confirmed that there is a continued need for increasing countries’ understanding on technical concepts and approaches related to the management of FGR, including the reporting requirements for monitoring the implementation of the Global Plan of Action and for preparing global assessments on FGR. The CGRFA also requested FAO to initiate the development of a new global information system on FGR. The expected outcome of the project is increased availability of information on FGR for policy-making and action at national, regional and global levels.

Project duration: 01.11.2020 – 30.06.2025

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