Responding to the challenges of a changing world:The role of new plant varieties and high quality seed in agriculture
Urgent government measures and increased public and private investment in the seed sector are required for the long term if agriculture is to meet the challenge of food security in the context of population growth and climate change. Governments are strongly encouraged to implement a predictable, reliable, user friendly and affordable regulatory environment to ensure that farmers have access to high quality seed at a fair price. In particular, FAO member countries are urged to participat e in the internationally harmonized systems of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), the International Treaty on Plant and Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). Participation in those systems will facilitate the availability of germplasm, new plant varieties and high quality seed for the benefit of their farmers, without which their ability to respond to the challenges ahead will be substantially impaired. The conference emphasized the important role of both the public and the private sectors to meet the challenges ahead and the benefits when the two work together. The Second World Seed Conference emphasized that agriculture needs to provide sustainable food security and economic development in the context of current and future global challenges. The Conference highlighted the critical role of new plant varieties and high quality seed in providing a dynamic and sustainable agriculture that can meet those challenges. It concluded that governments need to develop and maintain an enabling environment to encourage plant breeding and the production and distribution of high quality seed. The global seed market has grown rapidly in recent years and is currently worth around US$37 billion. Cross border seed trade was estimated to be worth around US$6.4 billion in 2007. The Second W orld Seed Conference was held at FAO headquarters from September 8-10 and organized in collaboration with the OECD, UPOV, ITPGRFA, ISTA, ISF.
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book (stand-alone) biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
|
| Online Access: | https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/am490e http://www.fao.org/3/a-am490e.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|