Implementation time: 1/12/2006 – 30/11/2008
Funding agency: European commission
Participating agencies: Hanoi University of Agriculture (Vietnam) and other agencies
The centres of origin of important food crops, called Vavilov centres, are considered to be crucial sources of genetic diversity for present and future crop-breeding programmes and thus for human food safety worldwide. Traditional crop varieties and crop wild relatives are often highly endemic, ecologically rare, and most of them still survive in vulnerable ecosystems in developing countries. These genetic resources, however, are at risk as never before. In agriculture, the widespread adoption of a few improved varieties has narrowed the genetic base of important food crops and led to the disappearance of hundreds of landraces. Conserving and using plant genetic diversity is vital in meeting the world’s future development needs. Given the importance of genetic resources for food safety, and the fact that centres of origin are mainly located in developing countries, we are convinced that it is absolutely necessary to link European researchers with scientists from these world regions that otherwise do have little or no resources to exchange their research results. Therefore our project is aimed to open European research networks to Asian research colleagues (working in centres of origin), establish a communication platform, and to promote knowledge exchange on genetic resources and their management (see: www.diverseeds.eu). Participating researchers will come from the European Union, Israel, Thailand, Vietnam and China. The main objective of this project is – guided by the International Treaty of Plant Genetic Resources – to jointly elaborate a list of recommendations and strategies. These recommendations will be published and made available to researchers, policy makers, farmers and the general public. Diverseeds will be based on international dialogue and cooperation between researchers working on genetic resources and agricultural biodiversity. By providing an exchange platform the project will bring mutual benefits for all partners and regions involved.
2. Main goals of the project
The most important sources of plant genetic resources can be found in the centres of origin and diversity of crops (so called Vavilov centres), and most of these centres are located in developing countries. We are convinced that it is absolutely necessary to link researchers from different world regions (especially from the EU and INCO countries) that otherwise do have little or no resources to exchange their research results, discuss scientific and non-scientific (e.g. socio-economic) problems, find joint solutions to prevent genetic erosion, and stimulate knowledge and technology transfer. Within the European Union some information exchange networks (e.g. EUCARPIA, PGR-Forum, ECP-GR) already exist, however, communication between Europe and INCO countries e.g. Asia are rather scare.
Our project is aimed to open the European networks to Asian research colleagues working in centres of origin, to establish a communication platform, and to promote knowledge exchange on genetic resources. Another important aim of the project will be to assist in the implementation of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources and contribute to overcome its gaps. The most significant and overriding synergy between the objectives of our project and the FAO Treaty falls under Article 6 (Sustainable use of plant genetic resources). However, the Treaty fails somehow to be realistic in terms of the implementation of its proposed measures. Through our project it will be possible to address the measures, and by way of interaction with partners fromAsia we will determine realistic ways forward. The following tentative list of issues shows which aspects of genetic resources and its management will be important for our European and Asian colleagues:
- Supporting an integrated gene management: conservation and management actions for varieties, landraces and crop wild relatives, including collections (e.g. gene banks, on-farm conservation).
- Integration of traditional farmer knowledge (indigenous knowledge) in centers of origin and the participatory development of farmer incentive into the strategies of conservation and use of plant genetic resources.
- Capacity building and technical assistance through knowledge transfer from European PGR networks to our Asian partners.
- Structuring and providing information on managing local crop diversity and provide useful and comprehensive (paperbound and audiovisual) material for broader dissemination.
3. Main objectives
The main objective of this project is to jointly elaborate a list of recommendations and strategies to improve the sustainable use of plant genetic resources, especially in centers of origin. These recommendations will be disseminated to researchers, but also to policy makers, farmers and the general public. The project will be divided into five phases:
- Identification of main issues: within participating countries scientists, farmers, policy makers and NGOs will be interviewed to allow a first comprehensive collection of important issues, questions and possible knowledge gaps. A special emphasis will be laid on issues identified by the FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, as well as other relevant efforts undertaken by the EU, the FAO and other international activities of importance. The issues and questions gathered in part one will be structured and explored by a survey targeting a wider group of scientists from European and Asian research networks.
- First Regional Workshops and International Meeting: The outcome of the survey will be the prime input for the first round of Regional Workshops (to be held in Europe, China andSouth-East Asia) where regional implications will be discussed. A first set of recommendations identified in the Workshops will be discussed in the first International Meeting where representatives from all participating regions will identify issues of global relevance and elaborate international recommendations.
- Open discussion: The recommendations elaborated will be published (project webpage, through research networks) and will be open for discussion, comments and improvement. At this stage not only researchers, but also policy makers, NGOs, farmers (wherever possible) and the general public will be invited to comment and discuss the recommendations.
- Second Regional Workshops and International Meeting:The second and last round of Regional Workshops will formulate strategies taking into account not only the comments of the open discussion but also regional particularities at the policy level. The final International Meeting is committed to explore synergies of these regional strategies and focus on issues that might be targeted only or most effectively at an international level.
- Dissemination: As an important part of the project, awareness will be raised by proactive dissemination of project results, the recommendations and strategies. Different target groups will receive our information, namely international researchers, policy makers, farmers, NGOs and the general public. To ensure a higher level of commitment of these target groups their early involvement will contribute and facilitate knowledge transfer from science to farmers, NGOs and policy maker.
4. Participating agencies list
| Participating agencies | Short name | Country |
| International Dialogue and Conflict Management | IDC | Austria |
| University of Natural Resourcesand Applied Life SciencesVienna | BOKU IPP | Austria |
| University of Birmingham | UNI BHAM | United Kingdom |
| Institute of Crop Science,University of Kassel | UniK | Germany |
| Israeli Gene Bank for Agricultural Crops, Volcani center, Bet-Dagan | ARO | Israel |
| Institute of Botany,ChineseAcademy of Sciences, | IBCAS | P.R. China |
| ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences | CAAS | P.R. China |
| KhonKaenUniversity | KKU* | Thailand |
| Hanoi University of Agriculture., Faculty of Land Resources and Environment | HUA | Vietnam |
| Bioversity (formerly: International Plant Genetic Resource Institute) | IPGRI | International Org. |
* KKU will supervise two master students, one from Cambodia and one from Myanmar.
5. List of agencies/ organizations with project participants in Vietnam
| Participating agencies name | Short name |
| Center for Agricultural Research & Ecological Studies (CARES) | HUA |
| Department of Plant Biology | HUA |
| Department of Plant genetic Resources | HUA |
| Department of Plant Biotechnology | HUA |
| Institute for plant genetic resources | MARD |
| Ministry for Agriculture and Rural development | MARD |
| Vietnam Agricultural Scientific Institute | VASI |
| Institute for medicinal plants | Ministry of Health |
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