Preserving crop diversity is key to global food security, says Dr. Kent Nnadozie

Ensuring food security amid continued global population growth, climate change and limited agricultural land depends, among other things, on the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic diversity, Dr. Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, told Armenpress in an interview.

He said that preserving local varieties of agricultural crops, increasing their yields and enhancing their ability to adapt to changing climatic conditions are essential to meeting the growing demand for food in the future.

He emphasized that biodiversity conservation and the development of sustainable agriculture are interconnected goals.

“Following the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity, countries realized that it did not fully cover certain issues related to genetic resources and biodiversity, and that a specific, specialized set of tools was needed to take into account the particular characteristics of the agricultural sector. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was also initially developed and adopted in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity,” Nnadozie said.

According to him, the objectives of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Convention on Biological Diversity fully coincide. The only difference is that the International Treaty focuses on sustainable agriculture and food security.

“Given that both instruments share the same objectives, they both contribute to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the achievement of its targets. In addition, both instruments set similar goals and targets related to the sustainable use of genetic resources, access to them, and the sharing of benefits arising from their use,” he said.

Kent Nnadozie stressed that the objectives are the same. On the one hand, the aim is to conserve biodiversity and ensure that it is not lost; on the other, to guarantee that these resources are used sustainably for the survival of humanity, food security and the development of sustainable agriculture.

According to him, the Treaty is based on the recognition that crop diversity forms the basis of food production and agricultural production and, consequently, of food security.

“Therefore, one of the Treaty’s main objectives is to ensure that we do not lose the diversity of agricultural crops on which our food production depends, while also guaranteeing the sustainable use of this diversity. We must ensure that the varieties cultivated by farmers are not lost, especially those that have adapted to local conditions and on which farmers depend both for their livelihoods and for supplying food to the world. It is important that this diversity not only be conserved and used but also continuously improved so that crops can adapt to climate change, new environmental conditions, and new pests and diseases,” he said.

At the same time, according to Nnadozie, conserving and improving this diversity should help meet emerging food needs and adapt to changing consumption patterns. This is particularly important given continued global population growth and the limited amount of land available for agricultural production.

“Therefore, increased food production must be achieved by increasing crop yields. This increase in yields can be achieved by using the genetic diversity already available to us, enabling us to produce more food with limited land and resources. This is the contribution of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to global food security. In addition, indicators developed on the basis of data received from the Treaty’s Contracting Parties contribute to monitoring the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” he emphasized.

The Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture noted that the Treaty works closely with the Convention on Biological Diversity, both at the level of the secretariats of the two instruments and at the intergovernmental level.

“The purpose of this cooperation is to ensure that we all fulfill our commitments, implement the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and achieve the outcomes it sets out,” Kent Nnadozie concluded.