Delhi Declaration on Agrobiodiversity Management Adopted

November 9^th , Bioversity International, New Delhi

The 1st International Agrobiodiversity Congress (IAC) was organized from November 6-9, 2016 in New Delhi, India. The Congress aimed to provide a platform to all the stakeholders engaged in genetic resource conservation and management to deliberate on thematic issues of global importance, with major emphasis on rational and effective use of agrobiodiversity for food, nutrition and environmental security.

The Congress was inaugurated by Sh. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi in the august presence of Sh. Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Padma Vibhushan Prof. M. S. Swaminathan, Padma Bhushan Dr. R. S. Paroda, Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra (Director General, ICAR), Dr. M. Ann Tutwiler (Director General, Bioversity International) and Dr. Prem Mathur on the dias. Prime Minister underlined the importance of agrobiodiversity and global exchange of germplasm to ensure holistic progress in agriculture and environment. Our agriculture is based on respect and conservation of natural resources since ages and we should ensure their most judicious use (http://www.icar.org.in/en/node/11815).

The IAC was organized by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources (ISPGR) and Bioversity International, in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Right Authority (PPV&FRA) (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare), National Biodiversity Authority (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Science (TAAS), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and Asia - Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions(APAARI) along with many national and other international sponsors.

India is the perfect venue for the first-ever International Agrobiodiversity Congress as it is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It takes up only 2.4% of the world's land area, and yet it harbours 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals (CBD, 2014).

“We must conserve agrobiodiversity to ensure sustainable food, health and economic security in an era of climate change”
Professor M. S. Swaminathan .

“International Agrobiodiversity Fund” is created for assisting countries for scientific conservation and use of available agrobiodiversity and the documentation of available rich traditional knowledge. In this context, there is a requirement of building strong public-private partnership to increase investments towards greater use of agrobiodiversity for much needed genetic enhancement will be critical for human welfare - R. S. Paroda .

The Congress was attended by over 900 participants from 60 countries. Congress delegates discussed various aspects of conservation, management, access and use of agrobiodiversity in 16 technical sessions, four satellite sessions, a enebank roundtable, a public forum, a farmers’forum and poster sessions. Based on detailed deliberations, the delegates unanimously adopted the following declaration in the concluding session on November 9, 2016 .Delhi Declaration on Agrobiodiversity Management Adopted