Monitoring plant genetic resource diversity on farm and in situ: An overview of approaches, tools, challenges, and opportunities

Side event during the 13th Meeting of the FAO Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) puts a lot of emphasis on the monitoring of species diversity in situ, proposing methods and metrics that are suitable for wild species. Monitoring the diversity of domesticated species requires the adoption of methodologies that allow the study of diversity both at the species and the intra-species levels. Various organizations have developed and tested a range of methods and tools oriented to monitor changes of PGRFA and tree diversity on farm over sustained periods of time. They rely on the use of digital communication technologies, remote sensing, and citizens’ participation.

At this side event, the developers and promoters of some of these methods and tools presented them briefly, highlighting opportunities and challenges for their scalability and for comparing and consolidating data that have been generated through different tools.

The side event also included a discussion with the participants about the potential of these and other tools for filling the current gaps in national, regional and global monitoring of domesticated species’ diversity, particularly PGRFA.