MONET 2030: Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal description

« If done right, agriculture, forestry and fisheries can provide nutritious food for all and generate decent incomes […] »

Swiss target 2.5: Agriculture contains and promotes domestic genetic diversity in food and agriculture including wild relatives of farmed agricultural species. In this way, it makes a considerable contribution to the maintenance and sustainable use of native species of agricultural crops and of Swiss livestock breeds

SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal description

Conservation of biodiversity is essential to social and economic development, and to human survival.

Excerpt from Swiss target 15.6: There is free access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture […] Access to all other genetic resources (animals, micro-organisms etc.) is open within the scope of existing legislation. […]

Significance of the indicator
The indicator shows the number of plant genetic resources (accessions) conserved in the national genebank of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGREL). A plant genetic resource is plant genetic material that can multiply and is of actual or potential value. The preservation of these resources, which represent a heritage for future generations, is important for food security and biodiversity in general. Increasing the number of accessions registered is therefore a step towards sustainable development.

Help for interpretation
The plant material in the PGREL national genebank is preserved physically, for example in conservation orchards or in the form of seeds, and registered in the database. Conservation of a plant genetic resource not only allows it to be documented, but also used in the future and shared.

International comparability
This indicator is comparable with the indicator selected by the UN for global SDG monitoring (IAEG-SDG 2.5.1). However, the UN indicator also covers animal genetic resources.

Synthesis

These data come from the national genebank of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGREL) managed by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Calculation of this indicator takes into account accessions, i.e. collections of plant material conserved in the form of samples, varieties or populations, registered in this database. Each accession is identified using descriptors relating to the place of conservation, the variety or the genetic profile. This public database is one of Switzerland’s measures to implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, adopted in 2001 by the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). The public nature of this database stems from a desire to guarantee access to genetic material and to promote cooperation between national programmes and the FAO.

Swiss national database on plant genetic ressources (available in French and German)

Swiss target 2.5: Agriculture contains and promotes domestic genetic diversity in food and agriculture including wild relatives of farmed agricultural species. In this way, it makes a considerable contribution to the maintenance and sustainable use of native species of agricultural crops and of Swiss livestock breeds.

Excerpt from Swiss target 15.6: There is free access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture […] Access to all other genetic resources (animals, micro-organisms etc.) is open within the scope of existing legislation. […]

International target 2.5: By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.

International target 15.6: Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed.