Crop Trust at GFFA
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference on central issues of vital importance for global agricultural and food policies. It is held in Berlin on an annual basis at the same time as the...
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference on central issues of vital importance for global agricultural and food policies. It is held in Berlin on an annual basis at the same time as the International Green Week (IGW).
The GFFA is hosted by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in cooperation with the Berlin Senate and Messe Berlin GmbH.
Panel Event:
Crop Diversity for a Healthy Planet and Those Who Live on It
Organizers: Crop Trust and Julius-Kühn Institute
19. January - 11:30-13:00
Room M4 - M5
Agrobiodiversity is rapidly declining worldwide. The loss of genetic variation from farmer’s fields and in the wild, diminishes the options for breeders and farmers to adapt food systems to new challenges. Crop genetic diversity is a global common good, as recognized by the International Plant Treaty and as such requires international cooperation to protect, preserve and use. Its importance is highlighted by UN SDG 2, Target 2.5, as well as Targets 4, 10 and 13 of the CBD Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The on-farm management of this crop diversity is key for conservation efforts, and so are back-ups of this important material in seedbanks. The evaluation and use of the conserved genetic diversity is crucial for breeding resilient varieties less dependent on fertilizers and pesticides.
Safeguarding plant genetic resources as part of a conservation continuum that encapsulates both in situ and ex situ efforts is a broad-scale effort that includes farmers, conservationists and seed bank experts, NGOs and policy makers. While benefiting many different global agendas, the continued existence and availability of such genetic resources is often taken for granted. How can the topic of crop diversity be appropriately included in national and international funding priorities and program design? Where are the strongest opportunities to deliver on the goals to transition our world to a more resilient and nutritious food system sustainably and over the long-term? Empowering crop diversity conservation efforts requires a concerted effort by multiple actors in multiple dimensions. Governments, the seed and food processing industries, the research community, civil society, the financial sector, multilateral agencies, and farmers must all do their part.
Only by safeguarding crop diversity in perpetuity, and making it available for use by researchers, plant breeders and farmers, can we adapt agriculture to the climate crisis, reduce environmental degradation, improve livelihoods, and feed everyone adequately.
Speakers:
| Wenche Westberg (Keynote-Speaker) State Secretary / Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture |
| Stefan Schmitz (Moderator) Executive Director / Crop Trust |
| Béla Batha (Panelist) Director / ProSpecieRara |
| Ulrike Lohwasser (Panelist) Senior Scientist / Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) |
| Henryk Flachowsky (Panelist) Head of Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops, Julius-Kühn Institute (JKI) / Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) |
| Stefanie Griebel (Panelist) Research Coordination Advisor / Welthungerhilfe |
