The Development Opportunity Crops Initiative (DOCs)

At the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2010), GFAR’s multi-stakeholder constituencies prioritized the issue of agro-biodiversity, as one of prime global importance. 

With the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources in Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), GFAR identified the need to advocate for greater consideration of this dimension in the research for development agenda beyond the positive outcomes of the international year of biodiversity. They organized a workshop on Agrobiodiversity to discuss the importance of local varieties and indigenous species, FAO, Rome, January 20-21, 2011.  The meeting brought together representatives from UN organizations, international research networks and institutions as well as civil society concerned with generating, accessing and using knowledge of these crops and with promoting their value and sustainable use.  It recommended to form a collective movement tentatively named the Development Opportunity Crops Initiative (DOCs).

The first activity under the proposed action plan for this initiative aims at convincing policy makers and investors that species often called "underutilized" offer strong opportunities to solve major challenges: nutrition and health, the resilience of eco-friendly farming systems, income generation. As a result, GFAR organized a side event at the Fourth Regular Session of the Governing Body of the ITPGRFA held in Bali, Indonesia, March 14-18,2011, to promote further with national and regional partners –under article 6 of the Treaty- the need to include these species that have huge local significance and in many cases, global market potential by expanding varietal conservation and exchange to sustainably use agrobiodiversity and the fair share of benefits.

Also, in July 2011, GFAR commissioned through GlobalHort - an international Initiative with a broad array of partner organizations, having also its  Secretariat at FAO, and well positioned to coordinate the implementation of this project- a study documenting the importance of under-utilized plants and crops for achieving smallholders agro-ecosystem sustainability in addressing the MDGs which resulted in a scientific and policy paper making the case for DOCs presented at the CGIAR Science Forum in Beijing (October 17-19, 2011), and will be used for sensitizing  policy makers and investors.

Relevant initiatives on Agrobiodiversity by GFAR regional Constituencies

The Roadmap endorsed by the first GCARD (March 2010) organized in association with the reform process of the CGIAR highlights the urgent changes required in AR4D systems globally, to address the goals of reducing hunger and poverty, creating opportunity for income growth while ensuring environmental sustainability and particularly meeting the needs of resource-poor farmers and consumers.

AR4D activities falling under GFAR oversight, are implemented by NARS, CSOs, NGOs, a number of communities of practitioners operating at national, sub-regional and/or regional levels, facilitated by Regional organizations (CACAARI, AARINENA, APAARI, EFARD, FARA, FORAGRO) as well as the CGIAR. With their respective comparative advantage they can deploy the full power of agricultural knowledge and innovation towards meeting agriculture and food-related development needs.

With regard to the Roadmap priorities in this domain, the Regional Organizations have begun to formulate frameworks for the conservation and use of biodiversity.

1. Studies to enhance the use of genetic resources through manageable sub-sets, using appropriate methods/approaches to sample germplasm collections, to help quickly evaluate/characterize (phenotypic/genotypic) genetic resources so as to select useful accessions for use in pre-breeding. Approaches will include enhancing research efforts on underutilized crops and their wild relative.
2. Pre-breeding and participatory breeding work: a) to enhance utilization of genetic resources in crop improvement programs and encouraging the use of underutilized species; their relatives and other useful species such as non-timber forest products (NTFPs), medicinal plants, etc.] to exploit untapped genes, broaden the genetic base of existing cultivated varieties and develop the new ones; b) to better cope with the challenges of increasing productivity, improving quality, managing new pests and diseases, and adapting to climate change and abiotic stresses, developing partnership with farmers and other stakeholders for exploring alternative approaches for genetic improvement such as participatory plant breeding and community based conservation.
3. Strategies and technologies to enhance in situ and ex situ conservation through use. 
4. Assessment of the agro-biodiversity richness and the status relative to economic, social and cultural (traditional knowledge) factors.

2.  In Sub Saharan Africa, FARA has launched at its last General Assembly in Ouagadougou in July 2010, a very timely endeavor to champion issues of agricultural biodiversity in Africa, the Agricultural Biodiversity Initiative in Africa (ABIA).  ABIA is primarily supporting efforts of ROs, SROs, NARS & Partners in R&D on agricultural biodiversity in Africa; building partnerships for action, seek resources, and commission research; it has engaged in advocacy for right policies and for R&D in agricultural biodiversity. Bioversity International is a technical partner with FARA in its technical implementation. The key products to be generated through ABIA include: 

1. Political level policy intervention (nationally, regionally, AU/NEPAD, donors), advocacy and public awareness to promote proper management and sustainable use of genetic resources in Africa;
2. Strategic studies and analysis on key ABD issues (Policy Briefs)
3. Support to Africa’s negotiators in international policy fora on genetic resources and agricultural biodiversity;
4. Mainstreaming ABD into tertiary education, universities;
5. Support establishment of Farmer/Community platforms in ABD use
6. Knowledge management in Africa’s ABD, including indigenous knowledge capture.

A declaration endorsed at the end of the FARA General Assembly expressed a sense of urgency to halt the further deterioration in PGR, and to help unleash the potential of agricultural biodiversity for development in the continent.

GFAR Secretariat has been able to mobilize some additional funding from a few donors to complement ROs budget and support selected activities in agrobiodiversity. This was materialized by Letters of Agreements (LoA) facilitating the organization of consultations/meetings on agrobiodiversity, biotechnology & crops for the future in the different regions, increasing awareness on the possibilities offered by the ITPGRFA notably in Capacity building and by accessing the Benefit-Sharing Fund.

The collaboration between ITPGRFA and GFAR, in partnership with Bioversity International and ICARDA has helped revamping the Plant genetic resources network in the AARINENA region and the formulation of a new strategy which has been endorsed at a General Assembly in Kuwait (November 16-18, 2011). The most recent of the meetings sponsored by ITPGRFA and GFAR to  raise awareness for the implementation of the Treaty took place in Izmir/Menemen (27-29 September, 2011) under the auspices of the NENA PGR Network, co-organized with the European Cooperative Program on Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) Network at the Aegean Agricultural Research Institute.

GFAR is also promoting in this domain greater CSO involvement, Inter-regional Partnerships (North-South and South-South) leveraging collaborative actions & networking.