REGIONAL MEETING TO PROMOTE AND FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

GLOBAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE

OF PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Manila, the Philippines

15th to 18th December, 1998

INTRODUCTION

1. The regional meeting to promote implementation of the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific was held in Manila, Philippines, from 15^th to 18^th December, 1998. The meeting was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutes (APAARI), and the CGIAR's System Aide Genetic Resources Programme (SGRP), hosted by the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) of the Republic of the Philippines and organized with the assistance of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI).

2. Representatives and observers from each of the following countries attended the meeting Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, lndonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, Palau, Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam. In addition, a number of representatives of regional and international organization attended the meeting. A list of participants is attached (Appendix 1).

OPENING CEREMONY

3. Welcome remarks were made by Mr. Nerius I. Roperos on behalf of the Department of Agriculture. He stressed that the holding of the workshop in the Philippines has helped the country's agricultural sector in promoting the Government's interest in playing an active part in the implementation of the GPA.

Mr. Kenneth W. Riley on behalf of IPGRI briefly described the composition and role of the CGIAR and the SGRP in advancing the conservation and sustainable use of PGR. It was noted that the SGRPs is a crosscutting programme that includes the genetic resources activities in the various CGIAR Centres and that IPGRI is the convening centre for SGRP.

Mr. R. K. Arora on behalf of APAARI discussed the objectives and functions of APAARI and its role in promoting the implementing the GPA, especially information dissemination in the regional and sub-regional level.

Mr Virander Sibal, on behalf of FAO, discussed FAO’s role through the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources, in the conservation and sustainable use of PGR as a forum for current negotiations between countries on the revision of the International Undertaking with the GPA as a key aspect of the system.

4. Mr. Cezar M Drilon, Jr. Under-Secretary, Department of Agriculture of the Philippines, delivered the opening address in behalf of Acting Secretary William D Dar. He underscored the need for sustainable arid equitable conservation of biodiversity for human deve1opment He outlined the initiatives that the Philippines has undertaken in the furtherance of PGR conservation, IPR, plant variety protection, access and community and indigenous people’s rights.

PROCEDURAL MATTERS

5. The following were elected by acclamation.

Chair Mr. Carlos B Carpio, the Philippines

Vice Chairs: Mr. Pasril Wahid, Indonesia, for Workshop I, Mr. Madhasudan Upadhyay, Nepal, for Workshop II, Mr. Joeli N Vakabua, Fiji, for Workshop III

Rapporteur: Ms Teresita H. Borromeo, the Philippines6. The programme or work was the adopted (Appendix 2). There were background presentations on the Global Plan of Action and a review of the status of its implementation. Three main topics, namely National Programmes, Community PGRFA Management, and Regional and International Collaboration, were addressed in workshops 1, 11 and III, respectively. For each, a number of presentations were made. Following this, critical issues were identified and discussed in small working groups, which were then reported back to the Plenary.

BACKGROUND TO THE GPA AND STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION

7. Mr H. David Cooper, International Conference and Programme for Plant Genetic Resources, FAO, presented an overview of the Global Plan of Action for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA which had been adopted at the International Technical Conference in Leipzig, June 1996. He emphasized that it was agreed at Leipzig that the implementation of the Plan is the responsibility of all stakeholders.

8. Mr Kenneth W. Riley summarized the state of implementation of each of the 4 areas of the GPA in the region based upon the reports provided by various countries of the 4 sub-regions (South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific). Priority needs and constraints were identified based on these reports.

PRESENTATIONS

Theme 1: Strengthening National Programmes. Strategies and Policies

9. A number of presentations were made:

Mr P L. Gautam of NBPGR, India, addressed the key components of a national programme, based on the model of the Indian national plant genetic resources system. He identified conservation strategies, exploration and collecting, germplasm exchange and plant quarantine, utilization, institutional capacity building, documentation and information management and human resource development as key components.

Mr Crisanto R. Escano, on behalf of the Philippine National PGR Committee, described the Philippines' experience to promote the involvement of all stakeholders in the planning, implementation of PGR activities and policy formulation at national level. He emphasized the development of a national PGR program involving all stakeholders in order to orchestrate integrated and complementary PGR activities

Mr. Mohamed Senawi of Malaysia described the development of national legislation for effective conservation, use and exchange of PGR in his country.

Mr. Paul Quek of IPGRI-APO described information systems for national programmes. He emphasized that the diversity of users, hardware and software dictates the corollary diversity of PGR documentation systems. He also envisioned that data exchange and capture will eventually be through the Internet.

10. Following plenary discussion, small working groups were established to examine the following subjects:

• National program coordination/involvement of all stakeholders

• Planning and linking of PRGFA program to biodiversity and agriculture

• Capacity building

• Policy and legislation

11. The issues and recommendations drafted by each working group were presented in the plenary session the results of die deliberation are presented in Anne-. 1. The main points ofc1iscussion in the plenary were as follows

- Strengthening national programs, including participation of different stakeholders Promoting capacity building in the informal sector

- Tapping the capabilities of relevant institutions, e.g, ISNAR, IPGRI, for developing training modules

- Strengthening regional capacity for PGR information management and documentation

-Options of national programs for developing sui generis system for plant variety protection

- Access through appropriate mechanism/legislation, e.g sui generis system

- Need for closer interaction between quarantine and PGR sectors for effective and safe exchange of PGR and in harmony with biosafety

12. Ms Wilhelmina Pelegrina of SEARICE discussed the programme on community management of PGRFA in South East Asia. She presented the various research activities of CBDC, including participatory plant breeding and participatory varietal selection in Bohol, Philippines, Mekong Cantho, Vietnam, Nan, Thailand and Sabah, Malaysia. She stressed that conservation must be always linked to utilization.

13. Mr. Tim Robertson of CARE presented the establishment of farmers' field schools as a strategy in strengthening community management in Bangladesh. This strategy has improved the nutritional and socioeconomic status of the farming communities.

14. Mr. Farhad Mazhar of UBINIG presented the principles of community genebank and on-farm conservation of crop genetic resources through community participation. The principles of the farmers' movement to produce healthy environment and happy life were discussed.

15. Mr. Raul Boncodin of UPWARD-CIP-PCARRD presented the activities of the UPWARD programme in on-farm root crops genetic resources conservation, including the use of home and school gardens as local germplasm repositories.

16. Mr. Anil Suibedi of LI-BIRD presented the role of participatory plant breeding and participatory varietal selection in the improvement of farmers preferred variety. He emphasized the advantages of these methodologies in diversity generation, conservation and use in farming communities.

17. Mr. Damaso Callo of the Department of Agriculture described the community IPM program in the Philippines.

18. Mr. Charito Medina of MASIPAG, Philippines presented the MASIPAG programme as an alternative option for PGR conservation and utilization and as a means of empowerment of farmers over their genetic resources.

19. Mr. Jean Louis Pham presented on-farm conservation as a component of the project on the safeguarding and preservation of the rice genepool. He further discussed the genetic and socio-economic aspects of on farm conservation.

20. Following plenary discussion, small working groups were established to discuss the following topics:

- Field level methodologies to strengthen farmers PGRFA management

- Strengthening farmers seed supply and conservation system

- Sustainability issues, institutionalization of in situ conservation initiatives

Constraints and opportunities to linking formal and informal sectors

21. The issues and recommendations drafted by each working group were presented in the plenary session. The results of the deliberation are presented in Annex 2 The main points of discussion in the plenary were as follows:

- Need for traditional varieties to be popularized and multiplied in formal seed production programs as well as to provide added-value mechanism for traditional varieties

- Increased access of farmers to PGR, a mechanism should be adopted to provide access to PGR

Theme 3, Strengthening Regional and International Collaboration with Emphasis on Promoting the Use of PGRFA

22. Mr. Michael Jackson of IRRI presented SGRP's role in implementing the GPA. The Programme encompasses the independently managed and funded Centre programmes on biodiversity and related activities on genetic resources and capacity development.

23. Mr. N. Murthi Anishetty of FAO presented FAO's role in facilitating implementation of the GPA through supporting the CGRFA in its role of monitoring and guiding the implementation of the Plan by all actors/stakeholders. He further proposed a multi-donor programme to facilitate the implementation of the Plan.

24. Mr. Bhag Mal of IPGRI-APO presented an overview of crop and regional networks to implement GPA priorities. He presented the existing regional and crop networks, their accomplishments and what each of them aims to achieve in the future. He also emphasized IPGRI's input and future role in PGR networks.

25. Mr. R.K. Arora of APAARI discussed APAARI's role in implementing the GPA, its objectives, functions and its perspective plans as they impact on the GPA. He further cited APAARI's activities that have direct bearing on PGR conservation and utilization.

26. Mr. Joeli. Vakabua of Fiji discussed the need for strengthening regional collaboration in the Pacific. This was based on a meeting of the Pacific countries held during the course of the meeting.

27. Mr. Wang Shumin of China presented how international collaboration has benefited PGR conservation and use in China. He enumerated the researches conducted by China in collaboration with FAO, IPGRI, USA and Australia on collecting, germplasm and information exchange, establishment of core collection, regeneration methods and ultra dry seed storage, He appealed to all the countries in the region to initiate collaboration on PGR activities.

28. Following plenary discussion, small working groups were established to examine the following subjects:

- crop genepools and crop networks

- the role of regional networks

- the supporting role of international organizations

- international agreements which affect the exchange of genetic resources.

29. The issues and recommendations drafted by each working group were presented to the plenary (Annex 3). The main points of discussion in plenary were as follows :

- the need for close linkages between genebanks and users

- linkages between farmers, NGOs, NARS and the IARCs

- IPRs and other policy issues

- The need for a Pan Regional Network to bring together different PGR networks operating in the region

Based on the presentations, working group’s reports, and plenary discussions, including a final synthesis session, the following conclusions and recommendations were agreed.

Strengthening of National Programmes

30. The meeting emphasized the importance of creating broad-based and integrated national committees, and of widening stakeholder involvement in PGR programmes (Annex 1A) and planning (Annex 1B). the optimal composition and size of committees will depend on specific country situations.

31. It was noted that strong national committees ran be useful platforms for developing project programme proposals and for sourcing funding to implement these. National committees should be able to assist in the development of consistent national policies and legislation which may be undertaken in different ministries, and support priority setting and planning of PGR activities undertaken in different sectors-

32. With respect to ex situ conservation, it was noted that it was sometimes difficult for countries to sustain national genebanks, and that there were certain advantages in sharing efforts. This applies particularly to small states, or those with insufficient capacity to maintain all ex situ collections. On the other hand, the practical and political difficulties involved should not be underestimated. A pragmatic approach might be to start with regional or sub-regional activities of direct benefit to national programmes (and to farmers in particular), and for sharing arrangements to evolve within these collaborative efforts.

33. It was noted that the informal sector (farmers, their communities and organizations) contribute to the total national conservation efforts as part of complementary conservation strategies. This might include linkages between national collections and conservation at the community level on farm and/or in community genebanks. Ex situ regeneration of accessions by farmers might help facilitate the regeneration in sites close to the points of collection and reduce costs.

34. On the other hand national programmes may facilitate the restoration of genetic materials lost from farmers fields following disasters such as flooding and drought, by provision of materials and relevant information. Communication between formal and informal sectors is crucial in matching available resources to needs, and in providing early warning of such needs.

35. Lack of sustained funding for conservation activities in many national programmes was noted as a constraint. It was agreed that closer linkages between genebanks and crop improvement research centers might result in both improved use, as well as more sustained funding. Other opportunities to link multiplication and selling of seed of desired diversity from a genebank could be channeled into sustained funding.

36. The important role of farmers, their local communities, and civil society organizations in the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA was reaffirmed, and the opportunity to strengthen this in order to improve rural food and livelihood security, as well as to contribute to the total national effort was identified. Similarly the role of formal ex situ collections as a back-up to on farm conservation was noted.

37. It was agreed to document best practices and develop techniques and methodologies (such as participatory varietal selection, participatory plant breeding, community seed banks, and farmer field schools, diversity fairs and farmers cross visits, see Annex II-A) with a view to strengthening farmers' capacities in this regard, and to promote farmers' access to different varieties/PGRFA as per their needs. Key principles in these approaches should include ecological understanding and empowering farmers as decision makers in managing genetic resources.

38. The need to strengthen farmers' seed supply systems, and to adapt the seed regulatory framework to accommodate seeds developed from both formal and informal sectors.

39. There is a need to strengthen documentation of local and indigenous knowledge, recognize it appropriately and promote use of the local knowledge in effective conservation of PGRFA both in formal sectors as well as to support research on role of farmers/farming system in conserving genetic diversity in the farm. (see also Annex II-B).

40. While there are similarities between the formal and informal sectors, the need to understand and accept the differences in perceptions, methodologies, approaches, methods of assessment, etc. was acknowledged. it was realized that the two sectors can be mutually beneficial and complementary in achieving the goals of food and nutritional security on sustainable basis through conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA. The contribution of the informal sector in terms of socio-economic considerations and biodiversity conservation should be recognized rather than regulated. The constraints and opportunities to linkages are noted in Annexes 11-C and II-D.

Human Resource Development and Human Resource Development and Capacity Building