The impacts of global change on crop production are hitting hard in Europe and the rest of the world. An essential component of efforts to mitigate these impacts is the production of new varieties of crops which can thrive in more extreme, changeable and uncertain environmental conditions.
The continual availability of a wide pool of plant genetic resources is critical to achieve this, yet despite the vast pool of resources that exists, we face significant hurdles in mobilizing them for effective and sustainable use.
This conference aims to increase our understanding of the challenges we face as a community of stakeholders in PGR conservation and sustainable use, and of opportunities for transformation in the PGR use system – a system which starts with wild and cultivated plant genetic resources, involves conservation, crop improvement and seed delivery systems, ultimately results in the harvesting and marketing of crop produce, and involves the full suite of PGR stakeholders.
In our interdependent world, this is a global issue impacting the plant breeding and agricultural industries, large and small-scale farmers, and ultimately on food and economic security in Europe and beyond.