Involving local communities in the conservation of plant genetic resources

Both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and FAO's Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (1996) acknowledge the role played by generations of men and women farmers, and by indigenous and local communities, in conserving and improving plant genetic resources. They affirm the need for women to participate fully in conservation programmes and at all levels of policy-making.