Maintainnig a diversity of crops and varieties is a ket to survival for millions of farmers living on improverished land. For thousand of years, farmers have used to genetic variations in the wild and cultivated plants to develop their crops and raise newbreeds of live stock. Gebetic Diversity gives species the ability to adopt the changing environments, including new pests and diseases and new climate conditions. Plants genetic diversity resources-that component of genetic diversity of actual or potential use to humanity-provide the raw material for breeding new properties of crops. These, in turn, provide a basis for more productivity and resilent production system that are better able to cope with such stress as drought or overgrazing and can reduce the potential for soil erosen. The use of genetic diversity-on farm, through field experimental or in sophisticated gene transfer procedures-remains arguably the best route so securing our food and that of our children.
