Bioversity International’s contributions to the implementation of article 6 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

In the last 20 years, Bioversity International has coordinated or has been involved in a number of initiatives, projects and activities that contribute to the implementation of Article 6 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). In this note, we summarize how Bioversity International’s work has contributed to each of the measures indicated in Article 6.2 from a) to g) and present examples of projects that are aligned with these measures. This summary was prepared as a contribution to the Third Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources, Vienna, October 2016

An heuristic framework for identifying multiple ways of supporting the conservation and use of traditional crop varieties within the agricultural production system

This paper reviews and discusses how studies on (i) on-farm diversity assessment, (ii) access to diversity and information, (iii) extent of use of available materials and information, and (iv) benefits obtained by the farmer or farming community from their use of local crop diversity, are necessary to identify the different ways of supporting farmers and farming communities in the maintenance of traditional varieties and crop genetic diversity within their production systems. Throughout this paper two key themes are emphasized. First, any description or analysis within the four main areas (assessment, access, use and benefit) can, and most probably will, lead to a number of different actions. Second, the decision to implement a particular action, and therefore its success, will depend on farmers and the farming community having the knowledge and leadership capacity to evaluate the benefits that this action will have for them. This in turn emphasizes the importance of activities (whether by local, national and international organizations and agencies) of strengthening local institutions so as to enable farmers to take a greater role in the management of their resources

The contribution of seed systems to crop and tree diversity in sustainable food systems.

This chapter will review the evidence that shows that farmers’ access to seeds has an impact on the sustainability of food production and consumption. Diverse seeds are needed to support the diversification of agriculture, which in turn may contribute to more diverse diets, and to using species and varieties for the integrity of ecosystem services. In what follows, we define three functions of seed systems. We discuss the evidence that farmers’ seed access influences food production and consumption. We then discuss each of the three key functions (production and distribution, innovation, regulation) in turn and review the evidence that differences in the capacity of seed systems to perform each function make a difference to fulfilling the overall goal of seed systems, in terms of their contribution to sustainable food systems. We also describe existing work to provide data and indicators to characterize each seed system function and assess how these can be used to measure the link between agricultural biodiversity and sustainable food systems in this context

Caficultura y cambio climático en Nicaragua: Refexiones sobre el papel de las políticas públicas y las cooperativas

En el marco de un proyecto denominado “Planes de Inversión en Agricultura Sostenible Adaptada al Clima” implementado por CEDECO, HIVOS, Bioversity Internacional, el Centro Mundial de Agroforestería (ICRAF) y la Universidad de Vermont, Bioversity International llevó a cabo un estudio sobre el marco político e institucional que rodea la producción del café por pequeños productores en Nicaragua. Los objetivos del mismo fueron entender y documentar cómo las políticas públicas que regulan la caficultura en Nicaragua así como el modo de funcionar de las cooperativas agrícolas influyen en las prácticas agrícolas de los pequeños productores de café en Nicaragua, y en particular su capacidad para adoptar medidas que les permitan adaptar la producción cafetalera a los efectos del cambio climático

A multidimensional approach to the resilience in older adults despite COVID-19.

Researchers have mainly focused on aging risk factors and COVID-19 consequences. However, older adults have proved their ability to overcome adversities along their life. Resilience is a protective variable that dampens the impact of stress. Based on MacLeod’s et al. (2016) approach, we aimed to analyze the relationship between older adults’ resilience and COVID-19 related-stressors as well as their physical, mental, and social characteristics. Eight hundred eighty-nine people aged 60 and over participated in this study. Older participants, women, having better perceived health and not losing a loved one because of the virus were associated with more resilience. Moreover, higher levels of gratitude, personal growth, life purpose and lower levels of depression were associated with greater scores in resilience. This study offers a change of perspective in which aging is perceived from a positive viewpoint by focusing on easily accessible resources that may help older adults to cope with adverse situations.post-print913 K

The multilateral system of access and benefit sharing: Case studies on implementation in Kenya, Morocco, Philippines and Peru

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the Treaty) was adopted in 2001, after eight years of negotiation, and came into force in 2004. Its objectives are the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Treaty creates the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing (multilateral system), through which contracting parties agree to provide facilitated access to genetic resources of sixty-four crops and forages that are crucial for food security worldwide. The multilateral system can be seen as the most advanced expression of countries’ intention to co-operate in the conservation, distribution and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and it constitutes a central element in a global system in which different types of users around the world share both responsibilities and benefits in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources. The multilateral system can be implemented only if countries’ governments, international organizations and individual users worldwide embrace its collaborative spirit and approach plant genetic resources conservation and use as a joint international effort. Effective collaboration depends upon understanding the perspectives of the different stakeholders. The four national case studies presented in this volume – focusing on Kenya, Morocco, Peru and the Philippines – were commissioned as part of an effort of the centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to better appreciate the incentives and disincentives that countries and their constituent interest groups have to engage (or not) in the multilateral system. They are expected to help the CGIAR centres and other international organizations to orient their support towards the implementation of the global system, and the Treaty, in particular, with a wider vision of countries’ expectations and constraints for international co-operation in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. These case studies should also be useful for other countries that are engaged in implementing the multilateral system domestically in order to see how the four countries highlighted in the volume ‘frame’ the challenges and identify options for effective participation in the system

Implementing access and benefit sharing in eight countries

Since 2012, national teams in eight countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have been identifying options for policy, legal and administrative mechanisms for the implementation of the multilateral system of access and benefit sharing (MLS) for plant genetic resources. This article summarises if and how access and benefit sharing has been strengthened in the eight countries, and to what extent this has benefited family farmers

Influence of Li doping on the morphology and luminescence of Ga_2O_3 microrods grown by a vapor-solid method

Gallium oxide microrods have been grown by an evaporation-deposition method by using a precursor containing lithium in order to check the influence of such dopant on the morphology and physical properties of the obtained ß-Ga_2O_3 structures. SEM studies show that the morphology is modified with respect to undoped gallium oxide, promoting the growth of micropyramids transversal to the microwire axis. Raman analysis reveals good crystal quality and an additional Raman peak centred at around 270 cm^(-1), characteristic of these samples and not present in undoped monoclinic gallium oxide. The presence of the Li^(+) ions also influences the luminescence emission by inducing a red-shift of the characteristic UV-blue defect band of gallium oxide. In addition, an intense sharp peak centred around 717 nm observed both by cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) is also attributed to the presence of these ions. The Li related luminescence features have also been investigated by PL excitation (PLE) spectra and by the temperature dependence of the luminescence

Psychological well-being among older adults during the COVID-19 outbreak: A comparative study of the young-old and the old-old adults

The COVID-19 outbreak could be considered as an uncontrollable stressful life event. Lockdown measures have provoked a disruption of daily life with a great impact over older adults' health and well-being. Nevertheless, eudaimonic well-being plays a protective role in confronting adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 situation. This study aims to assess the association between age and psychological well-being (personal growth and purpose in life). Young-old (60-70 years) and old-old (71-80 years) community-dwelling Spaniards (N = 878) completed a survey and reported on their sociodemographic characteristics and their levels of health, COVID-19 stress-related, appraisal, and personal resources. Old-old did not evidence poorer psychological well-being than young-old. Age has only a negative impact on personal growth. The results also suggest that the nature of the COVID-19 impact (except for the loss of a loved one) may not be as relevant for the older adults' well-being as their appraisals and personal resources for managing COVID-related problems. In addition, these results suggest that some sociodemographic and health-related variables have an impact on older adults' well-being. Thus, perceived-health, family functioning, resilience, gratitude, and acceptance had significant associations with both personal growth and purpose in life. Efforts to address older adults' psychological well-being focusing on older adults' personal resources should be considered

Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: policy options and challenges

Central Asia is one of the most important centres of origin for temperate fruit species, and enjoys very rich specific and intraspecific diversity of fruit trees. Apple, apricot, peach, pear, plum, grape, almond, pistachio, pomegranate, and fig are among the best known crops cultivated in the region, where the diverse and extreme natural and climatic conditions have helped farmers produce varieties adaptable to drought and resistant to a number of environmental stress factors. However, major changes in the rural economies in Central Asia, after the break-up of the former Soviet Union in 1991, have contributed to exacerbating some of the threats to agricultural biodiversity. From 2005 to 2010, the United Nations environment Programme (UNEP) with the Global environmental Fund (GEF) supported a project coordinated by Bioversity International to understand “In situ/on-farm Conservation and Use of Agricultural Biodiversity in Central Asia”. The project analyzed existent legislation and policies in the region to identify gaps and provide options to policymakers for strengthening legal and policy frameworks that support the conservation of horticultural and wild fruit species genetic diversity. This publication summarizes the factors that threaten local diversity of fruit and horticultural crops in 5 focal countries, and outlines the measures that can be adopted to develop and implement policy and legislative frameworks that better serve conservation goals