Posted on 31-8-2002
Genebanks
Underfunded
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, August 29, 2002 (ENS) - A lack of
funding for
agricultural gene banks could lead to the loss of a large proportion
of the
world's collection of crop diversity, warns a new report from
researchers
from the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Imperial College
in London.
In a report released today at the United Nations (UN) World
Summit on
Sustainable Development, professor Jeff Waage, head of the department,
warns that many genebanks are now unable to fulfill basic conservation
functions, putting at risk the crop diversity that underpins
a stable and
sustainable world food supply. The report, "Crop diversity at
risk: the
case for sustaining crop collections," provides the latest picture
of
genebank performance. It compares data from 99 countries collected
by the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2000 to similar
data from 151
governments collected by the FAO in 1996.
The researchers found that although the number of plant samples
held in
crop diversity collections has increased in 66 percent of the
studied
countries, genebank budgets have been cut back in 25 percent
of countries
and remained static in another 35 percent. Samples held in genebanks
must
be periodically planted and new seed harvested in order to keep
seed stocks
viable, and a backlog in this regeneration process is a strong
indication
of a critical lack of resources, the authors warn. The report
notes that
more than half of developing countries and 27 percent of developed
countries have reported an increase in the number of plant samples
in
urgent need of regeneration. "Most people assume the crop diversity
that
scientists have already collected from cultivated fields is
safe. We found
that this is not necessarily the case," said Professor Waage.
"In fact,
many critical genebank collections are in a precarious state.
If these
collections are allowed to fail, then we will lose the valuable
crop
diversity they contain forever." In order to safeguard future
crop
diversity, the report calls for the establishment of a permanent
international endowment, funded by public and private sources,
to support
the maintenance of the world's most critical collections. "The
data points
us to one major conclusion: genebanks can no longer rely on
uncertain
annual sources of funding - as most do now - to fulfill their
perpetual
responsibility for maintaining the diversity of plants that
are essential
for food security," Waage explained.
Genebanks hold a significant portion of the world's agricultural
heritage
and provide the last sanctuary for a growing number of crop
wild relatives.
These include the cassava, a starchy root crop that is a staple
food in
parts of Africa and Asia, and the tomato, whose wild relatives
are
approaching extinction due to deforestation and development.
Wild species
of coffee, grape and wheat also join the list of wild crop relatives
facing
genetic erosion - a process that can lead to extinction. On
farm losses are
also increasing as farmers give up traditional crop varieties
in favor of
high yielding modern types. The FAO estimates that about three-quarters
of
the original varieties of agricultural crops have been lost
from farm
fields since 1900. Such losses include wheat varieties in China,
maize in
Mexico and soybean in the United States.
The wheat species Triticum monococcum gives an example of the
vital role
that genebanks can play. Although widely grown for bread throughout
the
ancient Roman Empire, it is now almost lost, with relic populations
existing only in Turkey and possibly Yemen. However, because
of its high
fiber content, T. monococcum is once again in demand and a project
has been
established to bring back this crop using samples stored in
genebanks.
"Both on farm diversity and wild crop relatives are sources
of rare genetic
traits needed for coping with environmental stress, plant disease
and
pests," said Waage. "Knowing this, countries have undertaken
important
efforts to expand their crop diversity collections. A main task
now is to
ensure the safety of those collections and their accessibility
to farmers,
plant breeders and researchers."
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