1. The role of Bioversity International in capacity building for PGR activities in NENA
Johannes Engels and Per Rudebjer
Regional Workshop on the Implementation of the Regional PGR Strategy in the NENA Region: National, Regional and Global Roles. 18 – 20 February Muscat, Oman

2. Content
Introduction
Bioversity International’s new research focus
Conservation research agenda
Its capacity building ‘approach’
Bioversity’s capacity building resources
Possible contributions to ‘upgrading management systems’
Managing and sustaining CGIAR-held collections
Concluding remarks

3. Introduction Thank you for invitation!
Importance of NENA strategy for conservation and use
To implement strategy, capacity will have to be strengthened
Improvement of genebank practices
Addressing new areas (e.g. linking in situ and ex situ; strengthening networking and institutional collaboration)
Focus on what Bioversity has to offer; however be pragmatic and use ANY opportunity to build capacity!
Suggested to discuss how to collaborate on capacity building in the future, based on opportunities and resources presented
I followed the capacity building elements in the strategy

4. Bioversity’s new research focus
One of the CGIAR Consortium Research Centres
Conservation and use of PGRFA and FGR in smallholder farming systems is central to our work in order to increase: Livelihoods, nutrition, productive ecosystems and sustainability
Two strategic priorities:
Improve use of biodiversity by smallholder farmers
Improve the conservation and availability of plant diversity (in particular with a focus on information management and policy)
Research at genetic, species and ecosystem level is carried out at representative sites and agricultural ecosystems
Focus on important crops, trees and other useful food and non-food plant species + associated diversity that supports production

5. Bioversity’s conservation research agenda
Our priority within the conservation theme is the in situ conservation of CWR and on farm conservation/management. Within this context, we wish to enable countries to:
better conserve CWR both within and outside protected areas through the development of conservation strategies, strategic actions plans, inventories, threat assessment etc.
Development of (complementary) conservation strategies as an interface between ex situ and in situ conservation
Better monitor changes in diversity of CWRs through the establishment of sites and definition of relevant indicators
Identify potential traits within CWR that may be useful for plant breeding
Methods and indicators for measuring crop diversity on farm including tools and protocols for the development of a global learning and information system

6. Bioversity’s conservation research agenda
Methods to identify policies and policy changes needed to foster the continuation of de facto on-farm management of diversity.
The potential scope of ex situ PGR informatics support could include:
Creating and managing databases (such as Genesys and EURISCO),
Creating and managing tools (quality checkers, publishing toolkits, etc.)
Deployment and capacity building PGR management tools (GRIN-Global)
Creating and managing community resources (e.g. the Crop Genebank Knowledge Base)

7. Bioversity’s conservation research agenda
Create supportive policy and legal environment that facilitates (increased) flow of germplasm and fair + equitable sharing of benefits
Linked into a new EU COST Action project on FGR of marginal populations that includes North Africa
Plan to attract a North African graduate student to work on conservation of genetic resources of a threatened tree species at the margins of their natural range (as part of COST)

8. Bioversity’s conservation research agenda
In context of second strategic priority:
Relevant capacity building activities may include: organizing courses, preparing training manuals, tutorials, e-learning materials and certification programs.
No continuation of ex situ conservation and support as before
Substantial support only possible through jointly funded projects
Past research products (publications; methodologies; technologies) continue to be available

9. Why capacity building? Some global issues Bioversity is addressing
Most existing capacity is focusing on a few major crops
low awareness of agrobiodiversity, importance of landraces, informal seed systems, crop wild relatives, etc.
Importance and role of within-species variation neglected
Loss of ecosystems and species vs. loss of genetic variation in populations
Conservation decisions are often not based on genetic data
Importance of on-farm conservation in landscapes
Research on minor crops is fragmented and usually not done with (all needed) stakeholders!
Value chain approach is connecting markets, farmers and researchers

10. Our approach to capacity development
Research outputs
Fellowships & students’ theses
Training and mentoring research partners
Outcomes
Collaboration with scaling-up partners – training of trainers
Knowledge products for different target groups
Curricula and learning materials for universities
Impacts
Policy briefs
Information and communication products
Working with strategic partners, FAO , etc.

11. Target groups for capacity strengthening
NARS
Genebanks & breeders
‘Scaling up’ institutions
From research
to impact
Policy makers / implementers
Universities and their networks

12. Bioversity’s resources: General resources
Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship
Publications & training materials
Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research
(PAR):
Managing biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems (Arabic version)

13. Bioversity’s resources: In situ & on-farm conservation
A Training Guide for In Situ Conservation On-farm
Crop wild relatives portal - eLearning modules

14. Bioversity’s resources: Genebank management
Databases, e.g. EURISCO
SGRP Crop Genebank Knowledge Base

15. Bioversity’s resources: Genebank management
Pre-breeding for effective use of plant genetic resources – an e-Learning course

16. Bioversity’s resources: Plant genetic resources policy
International Treaty on PGRFA: Learning module (CD-Rom as hand-out)
Explanatory guide to the ITPGRFA -

17. Bioversity’s resources: Higher education
Teaching agrobiodiversity: a curriculum guide for higher education
The Forest genetic resources training guide

18. Bioversity’s resources: Databases and information systems
ECPGR provides an example of a complex programme that is currently being hosted by Bioversity.
AEGIS is establishing an integrated European genebank system.
Establishing and operating a regional search catalogue using EURISCO and an example

19. Bioversity’s resources: Databases and information systems
Bioversity’s resources for capacity development, and possibly relevant for building capacity in NENA Region
General resources:
Bioversity’s publications:
Bioversity’s training materials:
Etc. etc.
AS HAND OUT AVAILABLE WITH 18 SOURCES!

20. Possible contributions to ‘upgrading management systems’
Tailor-made courses on core Bioversity areas on full cost recovery basis
Development of crop/species specific descriptors
Setting standards for genebank operations (FAO and AEGIS)
Conservation protocols (crops and trees)
Development of a regional quality management system (i.e. AEGIS, under development)
Opportunities to tap into policy support (i.e. GRPI II) if and when concrete and convincing proposals are received; only Yemen had good proposal submitted but was not selected.

21. Managing and Sustaining CGIAR-held Collections - coordinated by the Trust
Above CRP (Research Support) is one of the CRPs
It aims to sustain the germplasm collections at CG Centres
It encourages partnership between the CG Centres and national programmes, most specifically in the parts of the programme that are devoted to the non-routine activities of the genebanks (that complement the endowment fund supported routine activities).
Establishing and operating Genesys (might well provide opportunities!)
Examples of the latter, two proposed collecting projects between ICARDA and Tunisia, ILRI and Israel (More priorities might follow).
The Trust is asking the CG Centres to develop partnerships with key user institutes/countries (for cost efficiency and rationalization purposes)
The development of a closer relationship between identified national genebanks with any of the CG Centres is an option to explore.
The CRP (Research Support) is relatively open – various forms of capacity building, secondments, shared activities, etc.
Information received from the Trust (Charlotte)
Luigi: There may be an opportunity for capacity building associated with GRIN-Global deployment, and of course with sharing data with Genesys. And of course it might be expected that some countries in the region could be identified as collecting priorities for CWR gap filling.
Hannes: CWR collecting is coordinated by Hannes Dempewolf. Though we first need to come up with our priority list, before we approach specific countries. Hopefully we'll have that list available within weeks (it depends largely on CIAT finishing the gap analysis).

22. Thank you! Concluding remarks
Despite absence of a regional office in NENA, Bioversity is prepared to contribute to capacity building in the Region
Many resources are available for free
Services (such as training) will usually require additional funding
Hope to integrate NENA into the global Bioversity supported PGR research and knowledge sharing
Collaboration with the Trust is important
Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Thank you!