State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The Third Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in March 2025, provides a global assessment of the status of the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources.

The term “plant genetic resources” refers to any genetic material of plant origin with actual or potential value for food and agriculture, including material from domesticated and wild species. These resources can be used for food, animal feed and non-food products such as medicines, fuel, fibre, clothing or ornamentals.

Supporting genetic diversity in agriculture goes beyond protecting species and varieties. It also preserves traditional practices and cultures world-wide, including those of Indigenous Peoples, small-scale agricultural producers and local communities. These people are the stewards of much of the world’s genetic resources and biodiversity.

The report, based primarily on information provided by 128 countries and several international research centres, highlights losses in plant diversity and worrying data gaps.

It also offers some good news. For instance, since 2009, there has been an eight per cent increase in the preservation of seeds or other plant materials in “germplasm collections”, helping to ensure that the genetic resources needed for future breeding programmes remain available. The global seed market increased in value from USD 36 billion in 2007 to more than USD 50 billion in 2020, with 40 countries (more than two-thirds of them developing countries) reporting improvements in their seed systems, facilitating farmers’ adoption of suitable crop varieties.

While global human and institutional capacities have improved, for instance in the greater application of efficiency-enhancing biotechnologies to using and conserving plant genetic resources, progress has been uneven. Strengthening these capacities is crucial to fully implementing the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and meeting other global commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

(FAO/ile)

Read more and download the report on the FAO website