21 March 2016: A study by researchers of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew reveals gaps in the conservation of crop wild relatives (CWR) of agricultural food crops, including crops important for food security in developing countries, such as banana and plantain, cassava, sorghum and sweet potato.

The study, titled ‘Global Conservation Priorities for Crop Wild Relatives,’ was part of a project investigating the role of CWR in adapting agriculture to climate change. Supported by the Government of Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust, it also aims to collect many of the most important CWR species for conservation and facilitated access for breeding.

The study finds that a majority of CWR species are currently not or insufficiently represented in gene banks. This means that their genetic traits are currently unavailable for the development of new crop varieties better adapted to climate change. Furthermore, many CWR species face risk of decline as their habitats are under pressure from urbanization, pollution, deforestation, climate change and conflict.

In the project, the researchers compared a model of the expected geographic and ecological distribution of 1,076 taxa related to 81 crop species with the samples that are currently accessible in gene banks. Among other results, the research showed that: no collections exist for 29.1% of taxa associated with 63 crops, whereas 23.9% are represented by fewer than ten accessions; for 70% percent of taxa, representation in gene banks needs to improve; and for 95% of taxa, current accessions are insufficient to represent their whole range of geographic and ecological variation.

The results further show that critical gaps in collections exist in the Mediterranean and the Near East, Western and Southern Europe, Southeast and East Asia, and South America. The researchers conclude that a systematic collection effort will be needed to ensure the availability of CWR for plant breeding.

CWR are widely accepted as an essential source of genetic material for adapting crops to climate change and ensuring food security around the world, which is also reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically, SDG 2 to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. SDG Target 2.5, in particular, calls for the maintenance, by 2020, of “the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels,” and the promotion of “access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.”

CIAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. The Global Crop Diversity Trust provides funding for activities to implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) and the Second Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture adopted under the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). [CIAT Press Release] [Abstract of the Study] [Project Website: Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Collecting, Protecting and Preparing Crop Wild Relatives] [Global Crop Diversity Trust]