Elements for developing PGRFA regional collaborative activities, Chikelu Mba, FAO HQs. © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Plant Production and Protection Divisionfor a world without hunger
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Elements for Developing PGRFA
Regional Collaborative Activities
Chikelu Mba
Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds Team
Plant Production and Protection Division

2. Plant Production and Protection Division
Outline
• In Context
– Food and nutrition security
– TCP/SNO/3401 – Optimizing the Use of PGRFA for Adaptation
to Climate Change
• Second Global Plan of Action for PGRFA
– Three Targets (Conservation, Use, Institutions and Human
Capacity)
• National PGRFA Strategy
– Developing and Implementing a National PGRFA Strategy
• Perspectives on Regional Commonalities

3. Plant Production and Protection Division
Profiling Food (In)Security

4. Plant Production and Protection Division
• Framework for the management of PGRFA
• 18 Priority Activities in four main groups:
• In Situ Conservation and Management
• Ex Situ Conservation
• Sustainable Use
• Building Sustainable Institutional and Human
Capacities
• Implementation to be monitored through 3 targets
• Conservation
• Sustainable Use
• Institutions and Human Capacities
• Will assist countries domesticate international norms and
processes and meet commitments
The Second GPA

5. Plant Production and Protection Division
The blueprint for the management of a country’s PGRFA
• Template to implement the Second GPA, other
PGRFA-related commitments
• Customizable
• Identifies the national vision, goals and objectives, and
the corresponding plan of action
• Assigns responsibilities, resources, and timeframes
• Aligned with national development objectives, e.g.
food and nutrition security, climate change,
desertification, etc.
National Strategy for PGRFA: What?

6. Plant Production and Protection Division
• Enhances the efficiencies through:
• national-level coordination of all PGRFA-related
activities thereby enabling concerted actions,
• the pooling of resources and
• the avoidance of wasteful duplications and rivalry
• Facilitates the monitoring of progress
• Fosters partnerships and linkages
• Facilitates the ease of developing country reports to
regional and global initiatives, frameworks, agreements,
etc.
National Strategy for PGRFA: Why?

7. Plant Production and Protection Division
 National coordination, e.g. by National PGRFA Committee, to
encompass:
o public sector -- ministries, departments and institutions (e.g.
agriculture, environment, commerce, education, science and
technology, tourism, etc.)
o private sector
o civil society
 Two distinct levels of involvement by relevant sectors:
o Policy makers
o Practitioners – germplasm curators, plant breeders, other
scientists, seed sector, extension services, environmentalists,
educators, etc.
National Strategy for PGRFA: By whom?

8. Plant Production and Protection Division
Stage A: Establishment of a coordinating mechanism
o Should derive from existing institutions and processes,
such as the National PGRFA Programme
o A core team from the National PGRFA Programme (or
similar structure) be appointed to coordinate and drive
the preparation of the strategy
o This core team is referred to as the ‘National PGRFA
Committee’
National Strategy for PGRFA: How?

9. Plant Production and Protection Division
Stage B -- Content of Strategy
 Conduct country assessment on the state of PGRFA to
identify gaps and priorities across the PGRFA continuum,
from conservation, through use to seed delivery
 Based on the country assessment define clearly what the
strategy sets out to accomplish
 Formulate a vision statement
 Define action plan with goals, activities, targets, indicators
and timeframe
 Provide detailed budget
National Strategy for PGRFA: How?

10. Plant Production and Protection Division
Stage C -- Finalization and consultation
 Extensive consultation with widest stakeholder
base
 Inputs from a broad spectrum of interest
groups contribute to shaping the final version
of the National Strategy for PGRFA
 Stakeholder consultations must be well
planned and facilitated in order to ensure
meaningful participation
National Strategy for PGRFA: How?

11. Plant Production and Protection Division
Implementation of the National PGRFA
Strategy
 Execution of agreed upon activities
 Monitoring and evaluation
 Reporting on the agreed activities
National Strategy for PGRFA: How?

12. Plant Production and Protection Division
Measures in a National PGRFA Strategy
 Strengthened linkages between PGRFA curators and users
 Efficient conservation of PGRFA
 Improved PGRFA use to address national crop improvement goals
 Strengthened linkages between crop improvement and seed delivery
 Implementation of national rules and legislations
 Increasing public awareness

13. Plant Production and Protection Division
Regional Collaboration Adds Value to Development and
Implementation of National PGRFA Strategy?
• Common key gaps, constraints and needs?
• Activities to address these over the next two years
• what exactly should be done;
• by whom;
• how should it/they be executed;
• how should implementation be monitored?
• In the contexts of:
• climate change adaptation and mitigation
• National Sovereignty over PGRFA
Regional Collaborative PGRFA Activities

14. Plant Production and Protection Division
Thank you very much!!!