Empowering small farmholders and indigenous cultures is central to preserving at risk plants and forests

Empowering farmers, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and scientists to conserve and use genetic resources is key to resilient agrifood systems

As the world faces widespread hunger, malnutrition and poverty, exacerbated by biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation, and conflicts, there is an urgent need to halt the loss of the genetic resources that support agrifood systems.

Two reports [recently] published … under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), emphasize the need for urgent action.

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“Strengthening the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources is not just an agricultural priority – it is a fundamental necessity for ensuring a more sustainable, resilient and food-secure future for all,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu wrote in the report’s foreword.

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