Description

Intensive plant breeding not only safeguards quantities of food supplies but also the quality of the ingredients going into the food and, therefore, its suitability for storage and processing. Supporting plant breeding is a low-cost way of improving the country’s nutritional status and also serves to improve soil fertility and animal health. It may also secure regional diversity of species and enable a more rapid adaptation to changing climatic conditions and markets.

Plant breeding was originally in the hands of the farmers themselves. It is only in the last 200 years that systematic breeding has come about. This is largely undertaken by private companies, many of which have evolved from farms.

Requirements

• A properly functioning country-wide administration and monitoring system with access to the relevant information and sufficient technical and human capacities for its design, implementation and monitoring
• Access for farmers to genetic resources
• Clear and coherent political strategy and targets for policy-makers and public authorities
• Close cooperation and knowledge sharing with local advisory services
• Close cooperation and knowledge sharing with research institutions
• Regulatory framework
• Skilled / specialised personnel to man the respective institutions / provide the respective services
• Specialised courses at local universities
• Protection of genetic resource base

Possible Negative Effects

• The research results of state breeding institutions do not include private plant breeding activities.
• Advances in breeding could be abused for reasons of nepotism