World List Of Seed Sources

It was through control of the shattering of wild seeds that humans first domesticated plants. Now control over those very plants threatens to shatter the world's food supply, as loss of genetic diversity sets the stage for widespread hunger. Large-scale agriculture has come to favor uniformity in food crops. More than 7,000 U.S. apple varieties once grew in American orchards; 6,000 of them are no longer available. Every broccoli variety offered through seed catalogs in 1900 has now disappeared. As the international genetics supply industry absorbs seed companies—with nearly one thousand takeovers since 1970—this trend toward uniformity seems likely to continue; and as third world agriculture is brought in line with international business interests, the gene pools of humanity's most basic foods are threatened. The consequences are more than culinary. Without the genetic diversity from which farmers traditionally breed for resistance to diseases, crops are more susceptible to the spread of pestilence. Tragedies like the Irish Potato Famine may be thought of today as ancient history; yet the U.S. corn blight of 1970 shows that technologically based agribusiness is a breeding ground for disaster. Shattering reviews the development of genetic diversity over 10,000 years of human agriculture, then exposes its loss in our lifetime at the hands of political and economic forces. The possibility of crisis is real; this book shows that it may not be too late to avert it.

This third edition includes summaries at salient points within the first six chapters, dealing with the principles and practice of vegetable seed production. A suggested further reading list is provided at the conclusion of each of the 16 chapters. The general updating of this third edition has included more detail on 'organic' seed and its production, and also considerations on genetically modified organisms. The increased links between vegetables produced from true botanical seed and those predominantly propagated vegetatively (i.e. the resulting planting material which is often referred to as 'seed') have been added to this edition in Appendix 1.

The meeting recognised the need for the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for sustainable agricultural development of the region. Discussions focused on the appropriate mechanisms required to ensure capacity for the maintenance, production and equitable distribution of good quality seeds from a wide range of plant varieties. The meeting agreed to establish the Seed Consultative Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean.

This publication presents the proceedings of the Regional Technical Meeting on Seed Policy and Programmes in the Near East and North Africa, held in Larnaca, Cyprus from 27 June to 2 July 1999. The meeting was organised by the Agricultural Research Institute in Nicosia, Cyprus in collaboration with the Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service of the FAO. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the meeting recognised that one of the major challenges facing most countries in the Near East and North Africa is the need to invest significant resources in strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seeds of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximisation of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. The meeting proposed and agreed to establish a Regional Consultative Forum on Seed Policy and Programmes for the Near East and Africa (CFS-NENA). The forum will facilitate intercountry scientific and technical co-operation on seed production and supply, and promote crop genetic resources evaluation, conservation and utilisation in the region.

Originally published in 1999 The Commercial Use of Biodiversity examines how biodiversity and the genetic material it contains are now as valuable resources. Access to genetic resources and their commercial development involve a wide range of parties such as conservation and research institutes, local communities, government agencies and companies. Equitable partnerships are not only crucial to conservation and economic development but are also in the interests of business and often required by law. In this authoritative and comprehensive volume, the authors explain the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity on access and benefit-sharing, the effect of national laws to implement these, and aspects of typical contracts for the transfer of materials. They provide a unique sector-by-sector analysis of how genetic resources are used, the scientific, technological and regulatory trends and the different markets in Pharmaceuticals, Botanical Medicines, Crop Development, Horticulture, Crop Protection, Biotechnology (in fields other than healthcare and agriculture) and Personal Care and Cosmetics Products. This will be an essential sourcebook for all those in the commercial chain, from raw material collection to product discovery, development and marketing, for governments and policy-makers drafting laws on access and for all the institutions, communities and individuals involved in the conservation, use, study and commercialisation of genetic resources.