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.

1. Using ethnobotany
2. Strengthening traditional sustainable agriculture
3. Promoting community involvement in environmental protection
4. Preserving genetic diversity in cultivated plants
5. Planning local action
6. Integrating indigenous knowledge on natural resources
7. Ensuring sustainable agricultural development
8. Conserving plant genetic resources
9. Conserving biodiversity communally

1. Supporting integration of traditional and sustainable production methods
2. Involving women in the conservation of plant genetic resources
3. Involving small farmers in the conservation of plant genetic resources
4. Developing business strategies with traditional groups for biodiversity conservation

1. Using agroecology
2. Preserving cultural landscapes
3. Incorporating environmentally sound traditional practices
4. Disseminating environmental knowledge using local customs
5. Assessing local knowledge of forests

1. Linking local and global commons
2. Increasing sustainable food production
3. Adapting traditional practices for biodiversity conservation

1. Lack of community involvement in the conservation of plant genetic resources