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The establishment of a technical working group on genetic resources of microorganisms and pollinators was one of the biggest achievements of the five-day-long meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The 19th regular session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) was held July 17-21, 2023 in Rome, Italy at the FAO headquarters. A new intergovernmental technical working group on microorganism and invertebrate genetic resources (MIGR) was set up at the meeting that saw over 250 attendees.
Microorganisms and pollinators are “biodiversity for food and agriculture that do not end up on a plate,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo. Though these play an important part in ensuring food security, they have been largely neglected by the commission, she pointed out.
The commission is a scientific and technical body that provides policy guidance towards conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and genetic resources specifically geared towards food and agriculture.
The delegates at CGRFA-19 discussed microorganisms, which help in bioremediation and nutrient cycling in the soil along with those that are relevant to ruminant digestion (livestock such as cattle).
In the case of pollinators, biological control agents and bio-stimulants, they recommended setting up a global pollinator platform to respond to the situation.
An open-ended workshop is also likely on biological control agents and biostimulants, subject to the availability of funds.
The addition of microorganisms and pollinators would add to the work of the commission.
However, parties hope to use the evidence created by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production, and the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services which provide evidence of biodiversity loss due to current agriculture practices such as use of pesticides and fertilisers, and monocultures.
Members also discussed overlaps, or ‘mission creep’ as they called it, between the commission’s work with that of Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Specifically in the case of Digital Sequence Information (DSI), it was decided that the commission would continue monitoring developments on DSI in other fora and participate where relevant.
Information would be shared with the CBD ad hoc open-ended working group on benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) ad hoc working group to enhance the functioning of the multilateral system.
The commission recognised the roles played by farmers, seed curators, and breeders in managing genetic resources and seeds at the meeting. It recommended that FAO, in collaboration with ITPGRFA, carry out further work on the effects of seed policies, laws and regulations and report at the next meeting.
Forest, animal and aquatic genetic resources were also discussed at the meeting and delegates were updated on the developments. The commission brings out State of the World (SOW) reports on these.
Delegates endorsed the preparation of the third SOW on Animal Genetic Resources along with the second SOW on Forest Genetic Resources before the next meeting.
CGRFA-20 is now scheduled for March 2025 in Rome.