Abstract
Crop genetic diversity — which is crucial for feeding humanity, for the environment and for sustainable development — is being lost at an alarming rate. Given the enormous interdependence of countries and generations on this genetic diversity, this loss raises critical socio-economic, ethical and political questions. The recent ratification of a binding international treaty, and the development of powerful new technologies to conserve and use resources more effectively, have raised expectations that must now be fulfilled.
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Genebanking plant genetic resources in the postgenomic era
Agriculture and Human Values Open Access 24 January 2023
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Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to M. Rucli and M. Smith for their important assistance in the preparation of this paper. I also want to thank F. Ayala, D. Boerma, C. Correa, C. Fowler, P. Gulick, G. Hawtin, T. Hodgkin, C. Stannard, S. Tanksley, E. Tewolde and Á. Toledo for their contributions. This paper expresses the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of FAO and its member countries.
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration web site
Biological Diversity in Food and Agriculture
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Ethics in Food and Agriculture
Generation Challenge Programme web site
Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems
International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants web site
The Convention on Biological Diversity
The Global Crop Diversity Trust — Start with a Seed
The International Agricultural Research Centers
The State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
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Esquinas-Alcázar, J. Protecting crop genetic diversity for food security: political, ethical and technical challenges. Nat Rev Genet 6, 946–953 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1729
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1729
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