Action Plan to Strengthen Conservation and Use of PGRFAM. Ramirez, Regional Director, Americas OfficeJune 16-20, 2014

Why?

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- Severe climatic events: Mesoamerica is highly vulnerable to climate change

- Interdependence: adaptation of agriculture to new climates will need materials found beyond national frontiers

- Opportunities: native PGRFA represent present and future options for access to adapted seeds; within framework of the International Treaty

What?

What is the SAPM?• A roadmap to strengthen the conservation

and use of native plant genetic resources of Mesoamerica strategic for the adaptation of agriculture to climate change.

• Focused on 10 Mesoamerican crops important for local and global food security, with potential to generate income.

• Developed through a systematic analysis of relevant information + broad consultation with regional stakeholders resulting in the identification of a key set of activities (87) to be implemented in the next decade.

How?

Diagnostic assessment and Gap analysis

Conservatio

n

• Data quality• Impact of CC on potential

distribution of study species • Gaps in colllection• Identifying promising material • In Situ Conservation• State of genebanks and

germplasm collections

Use• Seed systems • Plant breeding• Use of climate information

Institution

s and Políci

es

• National and regional legislation in Biodiversity and PGRFAA

• Mechanisms of dissemination of varieties and seeds

• SAN, CC, Disaster response • Training

Climate Change

Focus genepools

• Baseline study focused on 10 genepools considered representative for agriculture in Mesoamerica: 26 crop species and >350 CWR

• Zea, Phaseolus, Manihot, Ipomoea, Cucurbita, Amaranthus, Capsicum, Carica, Persea, Tripsacum

• Section based on:-Crop types: grains, tubers, horticultural, trees, fodder-Treaty annex and non-annex -Regional priority crops-Important for food security, diets and income generation

9

10

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Participatory and consultative process

144 farmers 17 national genebanks (>70% of all known)3 meetings: >100 representatives of >40 institutions

Outputs

Six thematic components

Institutional genebanks

(National, private, experimental stations, universities…)

Community seedbanks

Regional genebanks

CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP…

International Genebanks

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Someoutcomes

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• Political engagement: adopted by Ministers of Agriculture through Central American Agricultural Council (CAC)

• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA): plan to guide activities + political follow-up

• Several single and multi-country initiatives inside and outside Latin America

• reform national seed legislation of Guatemala, collection missions to fill gaps

• national committee on PGRFA of Honduras use as roadmap

• Countries in Asia, Africa and South-America, FAO commision PGRFA: use plan as guide

• International Treaty: priority funding for activities implementing plan

Thank you