1 December 2011: The Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) was adopted by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), as a new global framework for the conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity as a key element in fighting poverty and achieving increased food security, in the face of climate change.

Adopted on 29 November 2011, the Second Global Plan of Action aims to: accelerate the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR); and strengthen conservation and sustainable use of plants and seed systems and the crucial linkages between them, through a combination of appropriate policies, use of scientific information, farmers’ knowledge and action.

It contains a set of 18 inter-related Priority Activities prepared on the basis of regional consultations and the gaps and needs identified by the Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and agreed under the aegis of FAO Commission Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA). It urges all countries to better manage crop diversity in farmers’ fields; and develop strategies to protect, collect and conserve crop wild relatives and wild food plants that are under threat, support use of a wider range of traits for plant breeding, and strengthen seed systems especially of locally adapted varieties.

The Plan also calls on the donor community to boost national and international efforts to strengthen institutions and capacities to address these globally agreed priorities. [FAO Media Release] [Update by FAO Theme on Seeds and Plant Genetic Resources] [Publication: Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture]