Efficient Conservation Of Crop Genetic Diversity

The book deals with the economics of conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in low income countries. This is done by developing concepts and discussing case studies. Only discussing the issues of access to and benefit sharing of plant genetic resources, unfortunately public discussion has neglected the serious problem of financing the conservation efforts because to date the issues of access to and benefit sharing of plant genetic resources have merely been discussed. The global situation of the conserved genetic resources is alarming, mainly due to the fact that the institutes, above all those in developing countries, do not have enough financial resources. Hence, it is imperative that the costs are taken into consideration. The contributions are grouped around theoretical approaches and empirical studies. The estimation of conservation costs help to allocate the appropriate financial assistance to the relevant countries for conserving their natural resources and assist in rationing scarce resources among competing crops which need to be covered under the conservation programmes.The conservation of crop genetic resources is one of the important components in the effort to increase agricultural production in low-income countries in a sustainable manner and to guarantee long-term food security, especially for the low-income population groups in these countries. Without sufficient financial resources secured for the long term at national and international levels, the will to conserve crop genetic resources as expressed by all governments will only be paying lip service to the issue, thus threatening all conservation efforts. The articles in this publication contribute to the ongoing discussion about the costs of worldwide efforts to conserve crop genetic resources on the basis of theoretical and applied studies. Based on case studies in Columbia, India, Kenya and two genebanks of the CGIAR as well as some theoretical analysis, the publication aims to assist decision-makers at differents levels with information on the costs involved in the conservation of genetic resources. Thus, hightening the awareness of increasing the cost effectiveness of different conservation methods to sustain conservation efforts. These studies indicate in particular the need for sustainable financing of the conservation of crop genetic resources, an improvement of the cost effectiveness of the conservation activities and the establishment of a constant quality and cost monitoring process.