Efficient Conservation Of Crop Genetic Diversity

The book reflects the work in progress regarding the analysis of the costs of crop genetic resources conservation that has been conducted at various research insti tutes over the last couple of years, including research conducted at ZEF and asso ciated institutes. In addition, contributions in this publication were presented at a special session during the "Global Dialogue: The Role of the Village in the 2]'1 Century: Crops, Jobs and Livelihood" in Hannover, Germany, at the World Exposition in Au gust 2000. The purpose of the publication is to make a general contribution to the ongoing discussion about the conservation of crop genetic resources as part of the global strategy to secure increasing food production in a sustainable way. Specifically, it discusses the costs of the worldwide efforts to conserve crop genetic resources on the basis of theoretical and applied studies. It aims to serve decision-makers at dif ferent levels with information on the costs involved in the conservation of genetic resources and hence to increase the awareness of the importance of improving the cost effectiveness of different conservation methods in order to optimize the sus tainability of conservation. The quoted Leipzig Declaration, which was adopted at the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources in Leipzig in June 1996, dem onstrates the close linkage of the contributions to the ongoing discussion about the implementation of the Global Plan of Actionfor the Conservation and Sustainable Utili zation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The book deals with various sustainable concepts of conservation

1 Efficient Conservation of Crop Genetic Diversity: The Costs and Implications.- 2 Leipzig Declaration on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.- Theoretical Approach.- 3 Financing the Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources.- 4 Economic Incentives for Conserving Crop Genetic Diversity on Farms: Issues and Evidence.- Empirical Studies.- 5 Current Expenditures on Crop Genetic Resources Activities.- 6 Costing the Conservation of Genetic Resources: A Comparison of the CIMMYT and ICARDA Genebanks.- 7 The Economics of the Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources in Colombia: A Case Study for Five Specific Crops.- 8 Costs of Conservation of Agrobiodiversity in India.- 9 Conservation of Crop Genetic Resources in Kenya.- 10 Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Crop Genetic Resources: The Role of the Public Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.- 11 Regional Collaboration to Conserve Crop Genetic Resources.