Preparatory action on EU plant and animal genetic resources : final report

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, was initially established by FAO, in 1983, to address plant genetic resources (PGR). It became the primary permanent international forum for governments to discuss, negotiate and decide on matters specifically relevant to genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA). Over time, the mandate of the Commission expanded and now it deals with all sectors of GRFA, plant, animal, forest, aquatic, and microbial and invertebrates genetic resources, covering the vast scope of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The Commission also considers a number of cross-cutting topics, including food security, nutrition and human health, mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS); as well as digital sequence information (DSI) on GRFA and biotechnologies for the characterization, sustainable use and conservation of GRFA. The work of the Commission on animal genetic resources (AnGR) initiated in 1997, resulted in preparation of the first-ever Report on the State of the World AnGR in 2007; and led to negotiation and adoption of the Global Plan of Action for AnGR (GPA) also in 2007. The endorsement of the GPA by the FAO Conference provided for commitments at the national level. The Commission monitors progress in the implementation of the GPA and status and trends of AnGR on a regular and biennial basis. Preparation of the Second State of the World Report on AnGR in 2015, further strengthened commitment to implement the 2007 GPA. The Commission plays an important role in supporting animal breeding and the livestock sector. It was instrumental in building the knowledge base on AnGR, creating a framework for action, and supporting measures for its implementation. It has overseen important initiatives, including preparation of various technical guidelines and building global awareness of the importance of AnGR as well as the specific characteristics of the AnGR sector. The work of the Commission is helping to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilization of GRFA, the genetic base for food production, thereby contributing to food security and agriculture development.

Valuing animal genetic resources: lessons from plant genetic resources

For 100s of years, livestock producers have employed various types of selection to alter livestock populations. Current selection strategies are little different, except our technologies for selection have become more powerful. Genetic resources at the breed level have been in and out of favour over time. These resources are the raw materials used to manipulate populations, and therefore, they are critical to the past and future success of the livestock sector. With increasing ability to rapidly change genetic composition of livestock populations, the conservation of these genetic resources becomes more critical. Globally, awareness of the need to steward genetic resources has increased. A growing number of countries have embarked on large scale conservation efforts by using in situ, ex situ (gene banking), or both approaches. Gene banking efforts have substantially increased and data suggest that gene banks are successfully capturing genetic diversity for research or industry use. It is also noteworthy that both industry and the research community are utilizing gene bank holdings. As pressures grow to meet consumer demands and potential changes in production systems, the linkage between selection goals and genetic conservation will increase as a mechanism to facilitate continued livestock sector development.

The intensification of agriculture has led to remarkable changes in the utilization of agricultural genetic resources and many previously common breeds and varieties have become rare or even endangered (FAO 2007, 2010, Drucker, Gomez & Anderson 2001). In Finland, Eastern and Northern Finncattle, the Kainuu Grey Sheep and the Åland Sheep are endangered according to the FAO classification (FAO 2003) and, for example, majority of the old Finnish crop varieties and Finnish landrace pig are already extinct. Making informed decisions on the appropriate focus and extent of conservation of agricultural genetic resources requires information on both the costs and benefits of conservation. Economic analyses involving the valuation of conservation benefits can guide resource allocation of various types of genetic resources and conservation methods (Artuso 1998). The value of genetic resources is not typically revealed by markets, as they are not directly traded in the markets or the prices of agricultural products do not completely indicate their value (Oldfield 1989, Brown 1990, Drucker et al. 2001). Although the importance of economic analyses has been recognized, the literature on the monetary value of genetic resources in agriculture is relatively limited (see e.g. Evenson et al. 1998 and Rege and Gibson 2003, Ahtiainen & Pouta 2011). Currently the conservation policy of farm agricultural genetic resources in Finland is based on international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) and the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic resources (FAO 2007). National genetic resource programs were initiated for plants in 2003 and for farm animals in 2005 to strengthen the conservation of genetic resources in Finland. Although there has been some progress in the implementation of the programs, they have also suffered from shortage of funds and lack of political interest in conservation. To re-evaluate the conservation policy, there is a need to use valuation methods capable of estimating also the non-use value components of genetic resources, i.e. stated preference methods. The choice experiment (CE) method has been found suitable to valuing genetic resources due to its flexibility and ability to value the traits of breeds or varieties and their attributes. Choice experiment makes it possible to value benefits of both plant genetic resources (PGR) and animal genetic resources (AnGR). The terms refer to all cultivated plant species and varieties, as well as all animal species and breeds that are of interest in terms of food and agricultural production. The CE method can also be used to evaluate the means of conservation in situ (live animals and plants) and ex situ (as seeds, cryopreserved embryos and other genetic material). Previous choice experiments have focused on valuing breeds or varieties and their attributes, especially on attributes that are related to the use of the breed or variety in agriculture (Birol et al. 2006, Ouma et al. 2007). In this study we present the results of a choice experiment valuing the benefits of a genetic resource conservation program in Finland. We test the effect of in situ and ex situ conservation on citizen choices between programs. We also analyse whether the plant varieties and animal breeds are perceived equally valuable by citizen. As the conservation of agricultural genetic resources (AgGR) cannot be expected to be equally valuable to all citizens, we analyse the existence of citizen segments that value differently the conservation of genetic resources. We can assume that AgGR is a rather unknown good for some of the respondents of the valuation survey. However, in valuation surveys respondents are assumed to make “informed” choices when responding to value elicitation questions (e.g. Blomquist &Whitehead 1998). Therefore, we offered an opportunity for respondents to obtain further information on AgGR. In our case, the internet-based survey allowed us also to measure how much time respondents took in reading the information and responding to questions. Furthermore, we also measured response certainty and tested the effects of uncertainty and information as reasons for heterogeneity.

With regard to the survey data of Korean researchers using genetic resources from three genebanks administered by the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, we conducted conjoint and cluster analyses to estimate the relative importance of genetic resource (microbial, plant and animal) attributes among the researchers. Our results indicate that Korean researchers view price (cost of acquiring an accession), high new functionality (functional properties of germplasms for specific applications and uses) and completely uncovered genomic information (about mutation, genetic transformation, genomic function and pathways) as far more important in decision-making about R&D use of microbial, plant and animal genetic resources, respectively, than other attributes. Furthermore, this study shows that researchers conducting R&D in the microbial and plant genetic resource sectors especially prefer resources from specific domestic environments and Korean indigenous species, respectively. The study also sheds light on different patterns of researcher segments in terms of utilities of attributes and subgroups of researchers who have common needs in the three genetic resource sectors. We proposed some policy and strategic implications based on the results of this study.

Genetic resources work and breeding in farm animals received good news from Interlaken, Switzerland in September 2007. The FAO coordinated conference accepted the Global Plan of Action for farm animal genetic resources (visit http://www.fao.org/AG/AGAInfo/programmes/en/genetics/documents/Interlaken/GPA_en.pdf). It is not unusual that the final wrangling took place over funding, and a consensus was reached by allocating the financing responsibility across the individual countries, FAO budget and the still unnamed donating organizations. The Plan gives greatest emphasis to the objectives which are grouped into four areas: (i) characterization and invention of animal breeds and populations, (ii) sustainable selection programmes, (iii) maintenance of genetic variation and (iv) strategy papers, institutions and research needed to accomplish all the work. The final outcome is a very useful document which shows how aware the animal production sector is about the importance of genetic variation. The text is encouraging in that it promotes revealing and fully utilizing the entire genetic spectrum available. The goals in the breeding area stem from recent insights into the management of genetic variation and the relationship between production and fitness traits. These goals require collaboration between experts in animal health care and in production technology and building animal production within the scope of available natural resources. The finalization of the Global Plan of Action went surprisingly smoothly. This was probably because the delegates with a background in administration had worked through the same process in the plant sector. They were wise enough to avoid the pitfalls in the process. The success of the decision making may also have grown from the family-like spirit experienced in animal breeding congresses – this time in the valleys of the rivers Simmen and Emmen and watching cows pasturing on mountain slopes and enjoying tasty local cheeses. In the plant sector, the cumbersome questions of the preparation phase were about ownership. The plant genetic resources are seed and cultivation banks funded by public money. According to the Plant Treaty, these reserves can now be accessed free of charge by any breeder. The difficulties of the plant negotiations are indicated by the Treaty still excluding plant species such as soybean, peanut, sugarcane, cotton and tomato. And few countries have not signed the treaty yet. The main farm animal populations carry the variation or all of the potential for selection within them and do not need to resort to separate banks or conservation herds. The genetic resources are part of the breeding programmes and are jointly owned by the animal keepers and breeding organizations. The most popular breeds are enjoying a very active international trade of breeding animals, semen and embryos. The exchange benefits both the seller and buyer and it is done following common business practices. The ownership issues therefore played a minor role in the creation of the Global Plan. A few words of warning should be mentioned, however. The machinery which discussed and wrote the Plant Treaty is not rusty at all. One would believe that the calm animal breeding sector is activated if unnecessary, and complicated regulations are threatening the breeding business, or if the supply of patent applications on animal breeding keeps exceeding the number of genuine inventions in the field. The hottest current topic in animal production is the increased global consumption of milk and meat. This has pushed up the prices of animal products and most likely they will stay high. The permanent news on farm animals relates to diseases – sporadically emerging avian flu, foot and mouth disease and pandemias caused by new insect species penetrating up to the warming north. The big five in the world’s livestock production are cattle, chicken, goat, pig and sheep. The production in industrialized countries is based on few international breeds or hybrids. The production in developing countries is coming from locally adapted strains, which are much less homogenous than assumed by the breed concept generated from the European tradition of strong breed societies. The maintenance of these adaptations needs awareness raising, inventory surveys and knowledge and technology transfer. When the diversity is expressed as number of breeds, the picture for well-surveyed developed countries looks better than it is, even more so, as in some cases the breed changes a name when a country or language border is crossed. The major breeding companies are operating internationally and at the same time clustering into a small effective number of operators. The most extreme one is dairy cattle where there is one major breed Holstein and where the most important males used in different parts of the world are highly related. Consequently the global genetic basis has narrowed drastically and some harmful recessives have been dragged up by popular sires. Now the undesirable phenotypes are commonly visible. The Mendelian defects can be easily eradicated – though sometimes at a high price. The inbreeding depression is creeping in through the accumulation of several tiny effects. It can be removed only by hiding it under dominant alleles. Crossing trials with unrelated breeds continue and the first results with red breeds are encouraging (e.g. Heins et al., three papers in J. Dairy Sci., 89, 2799–2804, 2805–2810 & 4944–4951). It is interesting to see that diversity matters. It is quite obvious that the breeders seek help horizontally among high-producing breeds rather than make compromises with an exotic breed and poor performance, or among local animal populations without believing in the travelling salesman’s glossy brochures. Hence the most feasible strategy for the overall maintenance of genetic resources is the continuation of several competitive selection and breed development programmes. Where do we go from here? When the process towards the Global Plan started, the first step was to collect information from individual countries about the state of animal genetic resources. Until that time the discussion had been on fairly minor points, while now the questions were loaded by challenging the assessment of the main features of animal production and the state and development of breeds and human resources to support the review work and continued improvement. We now have the responses summarized and crystallized into clear guidelines for future national and international work. The conference unanimously augmented the Interlaken Declaration with the text: ‘We recognize the need to promote the development of knowledge, in particular through research, leading to improved sustainable use, development and conservation of animal genetic resources.’

This is a review paper that looks at the current status and prospects of conservation of indigenous livestock genetic resources in Zimbabwe. Indigenous livestock genetic resource conservation and sustainable use can contribute to reduced vulnerability, increased food security and accelerated economic growth in rural areas of Zimbabwe. There is a consensus that global animal genetic resources diversity is under pressure. The existence of threat to animal genetic resources is accepted, even though debate remains about the severity of genetic erosion. Local effort on improvement and conservation of indigenous cattle are described and challenges highlighted. The need to invest in indigenous livestock research and human resource development to support livestock conservation to accrue maximum benefit is acknowledged. Strategy on livestock conservation should be instrumental in ensuring the survival of indigenous livestock genetic resources, while making superior animals available to smallholder farming sector. Unknowingly some of our indigenous livestock genetic resources may be classified as insecure or vulnerable but not however endangered as such. Natural disasters have resulted in loss of valuable indigenous genetic resources, breeding tracts and mixing of genetic characteristics of various genetic grouping. Indigenous livestock genetic conservation should encompass changes in value and attitude of smallholder livestock producers from the present consideration for number of stock as status symbol to more important objectives of higher productivity and socioeconomic benefits that are business oriented. The review paper therefore, concludes that in the planning and implementation of indigenous livestock conservation interventions to increase livestock production, smallholder livestock farming sector approach is proposed, placing the household as focal point of livestock conservation. Small scale farmers approach should become increasingly important and can have a tremendous influence on achieving the primary objective which should be the conservation of indigenous livestock genetic resources one of the most vital resources in rural economy.

The Need to Conserve Farm Animal Genetic Resources Through Community-Based Management in Africa: Should Policy Makers be Concerned?

Since 1985, the Genebank project has been implemented as a national program to collect, characterize, evaluate, rejuvenate, conserve and use plant, microorganism and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. NIAS has functioned as a center-bank of the project in cooperation with other agricultural public and private sectors. This national network on genetic resources for food and agriculture currently preserves approximately 233,000 accessions of crop germplasm and wild relatives of about 1,450 species involving 45,000 accessions of clonal crops. Among them 205,000 accessions are conserved as base collection, while 129,000 accessions, as active collection, are distributed for research purposes under the regulation ofMTA between NIAS Genebank and recipients worldwide. We have undertaken international collaboration focusing on exploration for collecting genetic resources under the regulation of MOU or MOA with collaborating parties and on in situ conservation and on farm management of plant genetic resources in several Asian countries. Research highlights on conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources will be discussed in this report.

The paper compares horticultural genetic resources collections with genetic resources collections at large, assesses their characteristics, strengths and weaknesses with the aim of identifying specific management requirements to conserve horticultural crop germplasm more efficiently and effectively. To facilitate such a comparison, a historical review of plant genetic resources (PGR) conservation efforts has been made with special reference to the period when conservation approaches and procedures were developed and a global network of base collections was established. A brief historical overview of the conceptual and technical developments of utilizing germplasm is presented. As the use of germplasm is closely related to PGR availability, the paper provides a brief description of the major PGR policy and legal issues, mainly those that impact on access and benefit sharing arrangements. A detailed analysis of the collecting efforts of horticultural crops by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) as well as of the existing major global horticultural germplasm collections is presented, with a special focus on vegetable crops and The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC). Finally, generic biological aspects and peculiarities of horticultural genetic resources are analyzed in the context of current germplasm management procedures. Genetic diversity considerations of horticultural crops, their frequently localized distribution, current breeding practices and other aspects are being analyzed to see how germplasm collection management practices can be improved. Based on these analyses and reviews, general recommendations have been made and conclusions have been drawn for a more effective and efficient global conservation approach and organization. INTRODUCTION Horticultural crops form an important component of the food basket for human beings. Besides calories, they provide proteins, vitamins and other essential substances. Horticultural crops are very diverse, including vegetables, fruit crops, spices, ornamentals, etc. and they vary greatly from one part of the world to another. At the same time a number of major global horticultural crops have been developed and they are more comparable with the major agricultural crops. Due to the great variation, their predominantly localized importance, the important role of people in developing many of the crops, the variable degree of their improvement, the big differences between crops in their economic importance, and significant biological differences between the crops as well as other aspects that characterize horticultural crops, the challenges to conserve this wealth of genetic resources in a rational manner is a real challenge. This paper hopes to contribute to a more rational and effective conservation approach by reviewing the historical developments of plant genetic resources (PGR) conservation and use, assessing the collecting and conservation activities of horticultural species, critically analyzing the routine genetic resources management activities for horticultural crops, reviewing briefly the prevailing political aspects, before drawing conclusions and making some recommendations. Proc. XXVII IHC-S1 Plant Gen. Resources Ed.-in-Chief: K.E. Hummer Acta Hort. 760, ISHS 2007 34 A Historical Review of PGR Conservation It was only in the 1920s that the first germplasm collections were established, largely driven by breeding efforts and interest and, consequently, resulting in breeding rather than genetic resources collections. Examples of such collections are those at the Vavilov Research Institute VIR at St. Petersburg, Russia; ARS of USDA, USA; the Crop Research Institute IPK in Gatersleben, Germany and others (Scarascia-Mugnozza and Perrino, 2002). The establishment of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in the early 1960s contributed significantly to the Green Revolution through the successful global breeding efforts on the major food crops. The dramatic losses of landraces of these major crops were largely caused by the introduction of high yielding varieties (HYVs) and triggered the systematic collecting of threatened PGR. These collecting efforts were coordinated by the newly founded International Board for Plant Genetic Resources in 1974 and resulted in the establishment of large germplasm collections, especially in the International Agricultural Research centres (IARCs) of the CGIAR. During the 1960s and 1970s there was a strong focus on major food crops, in particular those that produce orthodox seeds like cereals and pulses, and consequently the proposed conservation procedures as well as the research were biased towards these crops. Only during the 1980s was more attention given to “difficult” species, i.e. those that produce recalcitrant or no seeds or species that are vegetatively propagated, and in vitro conservation approaches, including cryopreservation were developed. Since 1977 the so-called Registry of Base Collections was formed and coordinated by IBPGR to conserve the germplasm that was collected with the involvement of IBPGR (Tao et al., 1989). The Registry consists of 49 selected national and international genebanks and it covers approximately 250 genera. Of the 49 institutes, 21 signed agreements with IBPGR for the long-term conservation of vegetable base collections, covering a total of 15 genera. Since the mid 1980s FAO established the International Network of Ex Situ Germplasm Collections as part of the Global System that was formed as an important component of the International Undertaking. This Network still exists and the germplasm maintained consists predominantly of material that is maintained by the CGIAR genebanks. In 1971 the World Vegetable Center AVRDC was established with one of its objectives being to conserve and use genetic resources of its mandate crops (see below). The Centre is loosely associated with CGIAR and only recently developed its new global strategy. During the late 1980s more people oriented approaches were developed and applied in the conservation efforts and broadened governance over the genetic resources programmes was applied which greatly facilitated the inclusion of in situ and on-farm conservation activities as part of national PGR programmes. As part of the responsibilities entrusted to FAO by the Convention on Biological Diversity to resolve the legal status of existing collections and the concept of Farmers’ Rights, FAO and the CGIAR Centres concluded agreements in 1994 that defined the legal status of the collections managed by the IARCs. Through these agreements the designated germplasm accessions were formally placed in the international public domain and the responsibilities of the IARCs defined. More recently, the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) and the Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE) concluded similar agreements with FAO. World-wide, approximately 1500 genebanks and germplasm collections have been established over the past 40 years or so and some general observations can be made about them: o Usually, there are poor links between genebanks and users; o Typically, many species are maintained in (national) genebanks; o Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) and of crop wild relatives (CWRs) are poorly represented in the collections and their within-species genetic diversity (GD) is rather limited; o In general, one can observe limited and decreasing budgets, sometimes due to underutilization of the conserved germplasm;

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture are necessary in food production and biodiversity conservation. These are the most important natural resources, in addition to air, water and soil. Unfortunately, during the evolution large number of plant genetic resources has been lost. The biggest negative impact on loss of plant genetic resources had been made by humans through the modernization of agriculture and the creation of varieties of high genetic uniformity. FAO and its operation through international mechanisms, such as the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the first legal act which regulates all levels of biodiversity: ecosystems, species and genetic resources, biotechnology, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (regulates the transfer of genetic material across the border), contributed to the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. In addition to the Convention on Biological Diversity, FAO has been defined by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in more specific and detailed way, the preservation of genetic resources. The objectives of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture are the conservation and sustainable use of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use. There are four basic pillars which form the substance of the Contract, Sustainable use of plant genetic resources, Farmers' Rights, the Multilateral System and the Global Information System. Two organizations, the International Biodiversity and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants trying to solve the issues of protection of the population and old varieties as intellectual property.

Plant genetic resources are an important component of biodiversity and provide the basic genetic variability that allow new and improved cultivars to be developed. Numerous germplasm collections have been established and it is important to established that such collections are representative and accessible to breeders and biotechnologists. Molecular markers provide the best estimate of genetic diversity since they are independent of the confounding effects of environmental factors. Assays based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are considered to meet both the technical and genetical requirements for the characterisation of plant and animal genetic resources. Two main approaches are described, based on anonymous and defined primers. The use of both randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSR) for the characterisation of perennial tree species, and distribution of variability within gene pools is reported. The detection of interspecific gene introgression between coffee species with RAPD markers is described together with the use of microsatellites to genotype potato. The use of PCR-based assays will facilitate the evaluation and utilisation of plant genetic resources.

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have propelled issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources to the fore. This paper attempts an objective appraisal from India's viewpoint of these relevant but contentious issues. After taking stock of crop genetic wealth, the shortcomings in the present structure of legal framework for conservation of the nation's genetic resources are examined. Property rights in plant genetic resources are the key to their conservation and wise use. Although India is a treasure-house of plant biodiversity, demographic factors, lack of a property rights regime and general ignorance have resulted in the plundering of these invaluable natural resources. This paper's argument is that if intellectual property rights (IPR) are imaginatively adapted to actual needs, they can go a long way towards the conservation of crop genetic resources. The dilemmas that developing countries face in the post-World Trade Organization (WTO) scenario are presented on the one hand as the all-important goal of food security (which calls for agricultural intensification), and habitat conservation on the other. Finally, a framework is suggested for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

The available national and international plant genetic resources related agreements recognize the sovereignty over their genetic resources. The onus to conserve (using both ex situ and in situ approaches) and use them rests with countries and current agreements stress the importance of equitable sharing of these resources and technologies related to their utilization. This chapter focuses on the in situ conservation approach. Here we deal with the definition of and conceptual basis for in situ and on-farm conservation, role of in situ conservation, factors that shape crop genetic diversity, need for in situ conservation and its role in overall efforts to conserve plant genetic resources, its relevance at local and global levels, impact of climate change on in situ conservation programmes and appropriate needs and opportunities for implementing community driven in situ conservation programme. Conserving crop genetic diversity is important paramount for food and nutritional security, in addition to other needs for medicines and fibre etc., of the present as well as future generations especially with the changing climate. Central to these issues, is the recognition that if crop genetic resources (including landraces) are to be conserved successfully and sustainably on-farm, such an outcome should be the result of farmers’ production activities directed to improve his/her livelihood (“conservation through use”), as no conservation of diversity can be successful if removed from the people that need it. This means that on-farm conservation efforts must be carried out within the framework of farmers’ livelihood needs, and for that reasons, the mobilization of support to on farm conservation need to be conceived and designed within the broader objective of creating a more enabling environment for agricultural development in its various aspects. Since the time that the Convention on Biological Diversity provided a general framework for ex situ and in situ conservation strategies, most agencies dealing with plant genetic resources conservation have been facing the dilemma of how to implement in practical terms in situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity. Major challenge is difficulty in changing the mindset of current plant genetic resources institutional set up. Institutions and researchers need to work closer with farmers and communities as the successful on-farm conservation of crop diversity demands not only to provide incentive for conservation but also empowering them in self directed decision making. A programme must establish a strong relationship between all the different large multidisciplinary institutions and local farmers. Too often, local organizations are ignored and the needs of communities are not addressed. Future development should work on understanding the concerns of local farmers and creating awareness on why genetic diversity and gene/allele combinations in the form of landraces should be important to them. We need to better understand how farmers value crop diversity and how they exchange varieties within and between communities. Once these problems are fixed, in situ conservation programs can successfully protect diversity while simultaneously improving the livelihoods of farmers. Even though genetic basis of on farm conservation is not very clear (work is underway), serious efforts on in situ conservation of crop genetic resources would only lead to a win-win situation, i.e. conserving and using crop genetic diversity for the benefit of those who depend on it. In addition, it can help us to contribute to environmental health through its contribution to ecosystem functions in general. Gradually over the decade many researchers agree that in situ conservation is important and feasible but difficult as it does not fit the scheme of things in a formal sector research and development plans. So when presented the option of conserving plant genetic resources easier option i.e. ex situ conservation is chosen neglecting in situ approach. This needs to be corrected and this can only happen when the mind set of researchers is changed and when communities actually get to make decisions that directly affect them. In many ways it is also important to note that on-farm conservation per se is not a panacea on its own as it is neither recommended as a universal practice nor a feasible method in all circumstances; it has a place and time, as on-farm conservation can be transient and subject to change over time and that provides the major link with ex situ conservation and both approaches complement each other. It is important to see that conservation is a kind of spectrum extending from strictly in situ to completely static ex situ and that it is possible to have various degrees of ex situ and in situ in our efforts to conserve genetic resources.

Qatar is firmly committed to conserving its biodiversity and is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and within this the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), and has developed its own National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). Based on an assessment of the status of biodiversity in the country, Qatar's NBSAP identified a total of 11 strategic goals that identify the most pressing biodiversity issues in Qatar including; protected areas, agro biodiversity and desertification, scientific research, education and public awareness. Qatar is home to unique and important habitats, but due to changes in land use and increased development, habitat reduction has emerged as a significant threat to its biodiversity. Qatar is distinguished for its diverse flora that consists of nearly 420 plant species which pave the way for the establishment of the basis gene bank. In accordance with the international conventions which Qatar has recently joined and ratified, the gene bank has conducted ecogeographical surveys about the plant genetic resources. As a result of conducting these surveys, a complete set of seed plants of the Qatari plants genetic resources are conserved as well as integrated database is created to facilitate electronic exchange among relevant stakeholders and countries to use the resources for studies, research, food security and development. A conservation plan is addressed to conserve plant genetic resources to face the challenges of food security in Qatar. This plan is based on Qatar national biodiversity strategy and action plan 2004 and Ministry of Environment national strategy projects 2011–2016. In this study, we focus on the project of Plant Genetic Resources Conservation in Qatar, the project has addressed in five key objectives; plant and seed conservation, molecular genetic characterization, training and capacity building, documentation of Qatar plant genetic resources, and increasing awareness of plant genetic resource's value. We reported that genetic resources department “gene bank” have been collected and conserved 210 seed accessions, 2800 herbarium specimens, and 287 Plant sample for Genetic characterization. On the other hand department of agricultural research start developing field gene bank. Plant genetic resources conservation, including all seed processing and treatments in gene bank “seed cleaning, seeds drying, seed quality test, seeds viability test, seeds germination test as well as store seed at storage rooms. Gene bank make available the conserved germplasm (genetic resources) to several groups of breeders, researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, farmers and other stakeholders. On the other side, we implemented several workshops and training courses about seed conservation in gene bank and access to plant genetic resources and sharing of benefits arising from their utilization. Finally, In fact, Qatar does not have a traditional food insecurity “Lack of access to adequate food during the year due to limited of money”. But food insecurity in Qatar means that Limited resources of biodiversity and agriculture biodiversity resources. As well as it linked to self-sufficiency. Finally, Plant genetic resources provided powerful tools for humanity to control our child's future, and yet not too much been at risk for Qatari genetic resources to be unsustainable, so it is necessary to preserve the natural plant genetic resources on which development is based. Plant genetic resources can be helpful in the achievement of a world without hunger “Food insecurity”.