1 Introduction
During the past decade the importance of natural resources for a sustainable
agricultural development has been increasingly discussed at international forums
and conferences. The degradation of soil, the climatic change, and the increasing
shortage of water were identified as the main obstacles for a sustainable
agricultural development. Even though the institutional process for awareness,
conservation and exchange of genetic resources started in the 1950s (see Chap. 4),
the negotiation and signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro took up to 1992. The most important international conference for the
specific issue of agrobiodiversity was held in Leipzig in 1996, where the first
report on the state of the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
(PGRFA) was presented and the first global plan of action for the conservation of
PGRFA was adopted (FAD, 1996c). Aside from the sustainable management of
soil, water, and air, it now seems to be accepted that the sustainable management
of genetic resources is one of the four indispensable preconditions for a
sustainable agriculture. Genetic resources are necessary for the breeding efforts to
solve the future challenges. Nevertheless, it has been only recently that
agricultural economists are beginning to direct research at the importance of plant
genetic resources conservation and utilization due to its considerable long run
impact on agricultural development and food security (von Braun, 1994a).
1.1
Problems
At the same time, although the importance of biodiversity for a sustainable
agriculture is now commonly recognized, the genetic diversity in farmers' fields is
reduced through the displacement of traditional varieties by modern varieties and
introduced crops·. Because a growing share of food is provided by a limited
number of crops and varieties of each crop species, it is crucial not only to
conserve the existing diversity, but also to use its components in a sustainable way
to meet present and future needs. As demand for genetic resources increases
because of new technology and new applications of biotechnology in agriculture,
in pharmaceutics, in environmental engineering, and in the development of new
I
On definitions see Chap. 1.2
During the past decade the importance of natural resources for a sustainable
agricultural development has been increasingly discussed at international forums
and conferences. The degradation of soil, the climatic change, and the increasing
shortage of water were identified as the main obstacles for a sustainable
agricultural development. Even though the institutional process for awareness,
conservation and exchange of genetic resources started in the 1950s (see Chap. 4),
the negotiation and signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de
Janeiro took up to 1992. The most important international conference for the
specific issue of agrobiodiversity was held in Leipzig in 1996, where the first
report on the state of the world's plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
(PGRFA) was presented and the first global plan of action for the conservation of
PGRFA was adopted (FAD, 1996c). Aside from the sustainable management of
soil, water, and air, it now seems to be accepted that the sustainable management
of genetic resources is one of the four indispensable preconditions for a
sustainable agriculture. Genetic resources are necessary for the breeding efforts to
solve the future challenges. Nevertheless, it has been only recently that
agricultural economists are beginning to direct research at the importance of plant
genetic resources conservation and utilization due to its considerable long run
impact on agricultural development and food security (von Braun, 1994a).
1.1
Problems
At the same time, although the importance of biodiversity for a sustainable
agriculture is now commonly recognized, the genetic diversity in farmers' fields is
reduced through the displacement of traditional varieties by modern varieties and
introduced crops·. Because a growing share of food is provided by a limited
number of crops and varieties of each crop species, it is crucial not only to
conserve the existing diversity, but also to use its components in a sustainable way
to meet present and future needs. As demand for genetic resources increases
because of new technology and new applications of biotechnology in agriculture,
in pharmaceutics, in environmental engineering, and in the development of new
I
On definitions see Chap. 1.2