Introduced crops in developing countries: A sustainable agriculture?

Abstract

Most developing countries rely for the greater part of their crop production on introduced crops, which show both advantages and dangers. To reduce the dangers, countries need effective plant quarantine services. To promote the advantages, national crop introduction and germplasm storage are needed, and plant breeding institutes can work with the international agricultural research centres, which provide plant germplasm and expertise needed for successful crop introduction and sustainable production. The continued improvement of introduced crops worth $100 bn annually to developing countries has been overlooked in the current international debate on plant genetic resources and may be placed in jeopardy by increasing emphasis on issues of conservation and ownership of plant germplasm, to the neglect of plant introduction.