24 September 2013: At the opening of the Fifth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), the Government of Norway announced a pledge of $23.7 million to manage food crops and promote food security and adaptation to climate change impacts.

The investment will be used to support the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund. It will facilitate collaboration in the collection, conservation and use of seeds and plants. This will support the Treaty in meeting its goals of ensuring that farmers can access a diversity of seeds to respond to risks, such as climate change and diseases.

Shakeel Bhatti, Secretary of the Treaty, stressed the importance of conserving crop diversity both in farmers fields and in genebanks. He added that the Crop Trust and the Treaty’s Benefit-sharing Fund are important mechanisms to support farmers in using this crop diversity effectively. [FAO Press Release] [ITPGR Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of ITPGR 5]