March 2014: Bioversity International has released a Strategic Action Plan to Strengthen the Conservation and Use of Mesoamerican Plant Genetic Resources in Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change (SAPM) 2014-2024, a ten-year roadmap that aims to increase food security and agricultural adaptation to climate change.

SAPM’s vision is to ensure that Mesoamerican farmers use the wealth of plant genetic resources to produce sufficient food in diverse agricultural systems, which are resilient to climate change and other threats, and have access such resources.

SAPM includes six thematic, interconnected components and activities, namely: conservation; sustainable use; institutions and policies; education and capacity building; operations; and finance. It was designed using a methodology combining the analysis of scientific evidence on the state of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), climate change challenges and opportunities, and a participatory process involving regional stakeholders. A study of genebanks and a survey of more than 100 farmers in the region were also undertaken, in order to generate a diagnosis on the status of plant genetic resources, which was used to identify the Action Plan’s priorities.

Mesoamerican parties to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) participated in the SAPM consultations, and the ITPGRFA financed the SAPM’s development through its Benefit-Sharing Fund.

Bioversity International is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [SAPM 2014-2014 Website] [Publication: Strategic Action Plan to Strengthen the Conservation and Use of Mesoamerican Plant Genetic Resources in Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change 2014-2024]