FAO: Renewed efforts for Plant Genetic Resources

The 2nd Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) has been adopted by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization, to accelerate the implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR); and strengthen conservation and sustainable use of plants and seed systems through:
-  better management of crop diversity in farmers’ fields;
-  developing strategies to protect, collect and conserve crop wild relatives and wild food plants that are under threat,
- support use of a wider range of traits for plant breeding, and
- strengthen seed systems especially of locally adapted varieties.

Publication: Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

New Report Related to Water and Food

UNEP and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have released a report titled “An Ecosystems Approach to Water and Food Security," which recommend that policymakers consider farmland, fisheries and other agricultural areas as "agroecosystems." UNEP and IWMI recommend closer collaboration between government authorities in agriculture, environment, forestry, fisheries and other sectors and hightlight the potential role for incentives, including paying farmers to plant and maintain trees on their land, to bolster ecosystem services and thus their contribution to water and food security.

Major Groups: Preparation for Rio+20

The following new initiatives and publications have been announced in preparation for UNCSD (Rio+20):

- The NGO Major Group has created an interactive website to share news, start discussions, upload videos or post events. The Group has also created a wikispace to prepare statements and joint documents for the Conference. NGO Major Group Website and NGO Major Group Wikispace

-The Farmers Major Group has issued a notice to solicit submissions on the green economy, institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) governance, and emerging issues and objectives of the Conference. Farmers Notice

-Local Authorities published a Briefing Sheet explaining the role of subnational governments in the green economy, and announced a forthcoming study titled "Local Sustainability 2012."  Local Sustainability 2012 News

The Group also announced a paper on the role of local governments suggesting that local governments do not appear in the current environmental governance regime, and notes that their representation at UN bodies is defined as "non-governmental."