FAO.org

Crops, livestock, forest trees and aquatic organisms that can survive and produce in future climates will be essential in future production systems.  They underpin the efforts of local communities and researchers to improve the quality and output of food production. It is vital that the genetic diversity needed to adapt agriculture and food production to future changes is not lost because of neglect in the present. Improvements to in situ and ex situ conservation programmes for domesticated species, their wild relatives and other wild genetic resources important for food and agriculture, along with policies that promote their sustainable use, are therefore urgently required.

It is also important to improve the knowledge of these resources – where they are found, what characteristics they have (e.g. resistance to drought or disease) and how they can best be managed. Unfortunately, many locally adapted varieties and breeds of crops and livestock are poorly documented and may be lost before their potential roles in climate change adaptation are recognized. The roles of invertebrates and micro-organisms in food and agriculture are even less well studied. The same is true of many forest trees and aquatic organisms.