Ukraine adopts strategy to save crop diversity
Ukraine, often referred to as one of the world’s main breadbaskets, is home to a wide variety of agricultural plants. But since the escalation of the war in 2022, its national genebank system, which conserves thousands of unique plant varieties, has suffered great losses. Now, for the first time, a comprehensive strategy, designed and adopted by Ukrainian authorities with support of the international community, sets out a plan for the systems’ restoration, further development and sustainable future.
The war in Ukraine has significantly impacted the country’s agricultural research sector, including the destruction of field trials due to the shelling, the annexation and occupation of research institutions, reduced budgets and many staff leaving the country. The Ukrainian genebank system is under severe pressure, which puts at risk the unique plant varieties it is its mission to maintain. To cope with these challenges and to safeguard the country’s agricultural heritage, a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the system has been adopted with guidance and support of the international community.
“It is a great success that the strategy is now finalized, and we look forward to putting it into action. We are certain that its implementation will lead to increased international cooperation, closer ties with the European plant genetic resources community and a higher level of security for the Ukrainian plant genetic resources. We can also see that this strategy is an important step towards Ukraine becoming an equal member of the European Union,” says Mykola Roik, Vice-President of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.
Securing the collection
The strategy consists of a set of goals, tasks and indicators for the development of the Ukrainian Plant Genetic Resources System during the four coming years. Among the most urgent tasks is to guarantee the safety of the collection, which is not easy during a war. Nonetheless, equipment will be modernized, seed laboratories and storage facilities updated, and a new data management system adopted.
“Ukraine’s genebank is among the largest in the world in terms of the volume and variety of seed samples stored in it. The collections of wheat, barley, peas, chickpeas, triticale, apples, and fodder crops are of world importance. With the measures stipulated by the strategy, we will be able to secure our collections for future generations”, says Viktor Riabchun, Head of the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine in Kharkiv.
International support
Since the war’s escalation in 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has rendered advice in close partnership with NordGen, the Crop Trust, the European Union Delegation in Ukraine and the European genebank network ECPGR.
“In 2023, we helped with duplication of some of the seeds in the Kharkiv genebank and sent them to a place safer than the frontline. That was an urgent short-term measure, successfully implemented. Now, we are glad to see that also a long-term plan is in place to safeguard these genetic resources, which are so important for the world’s food security,” says Mohammed Azouqa, Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine a.i.
Hope of increased international collaboration
Another goal of the strategy is to increase international collaboration through membership and participation in the ECPGR and the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, as well as ratification of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
“I congratulate Ukraine on the development and approval of the 2024-2028 strategy for plant genetic resources, which will strengthen Ukraine’s PGRFA system and help secure the country’s valuable crop diversity. This is an important milestone for Ukraine and for conservation of crop diversity globally. I am also pleased to see the goal to join the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 2025 and look forward to welcoming Ukraine to the Treaty community”, says Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
Funds needed
The plant genetic resources system of Ukraine depends on outside support to implement the strategy, not least because its budget has been reduced due to the war. Advice, capacity building, equipment and funds are needed. FAO, the ITPGRFA, the Crop Trust and NordGen have supported Ukraine in different ways ever since 2022, when the war started. The European Union, United States of America, the Government of Norway, NordGen and the Novo Nordisk Foundation provided crucial early emergency support to Ukraine’s national genebank and to the development of the strategy.
“The Crop Trust mission is to support key genebanks, help safeguard their collections and make these unique and valuable plant genetic resources for food and agriculture available for use. The Ukrainian genebank's collection is indeed unique and valuable, and this strategy protects this resource for the future. Now, we look forward to supporting its implementation”, says Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director at the Crop Trust.
NordGen, the Nordic countries’ genebank and knowledge center for genetic resources, has also provided technical and financial support. Through funds from the Danish Novo Nordisk Fund, NordGen has been able to help with funds for wages as well as sending equipment and providing staff training.
“Conserving genetic resources is not a solo effort - international collaboration is crucial. To help our Ukrainian colleagues restore and develop their genebank is also to help ourselves. The unique crops conserved in Ukraine are a crucial part of the agricultural biodiversity which everyone who eats is dependent on”, says Lise Lykke Steffensen, Executive Director of NordGen.
Read the strategy in its entirety here.
About the plant genetic resources system in Ukraine:
The Plant Genetic Resources System of Ukraine (PGRSU) is under to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine - a self-governing state scientific organization that provides scientific support for the development of the agricultural sector of Ukraine.
PGRSU consist of 34 institutes, including the National Centre for PGRSU (NCPGRU) and other research stations, each responsible for different plant species. Due to the Russian occupation, four research institutes were lost to the system in 2014. Another two were occupied in 2022. Since then, 28 institutions have been operating in the system. These institutions are geographically scattered in Ukraine, making some more vulnerable to the war than others. The main seed collection is in Kharkiv, but a backup facility for the seeds was established in another part of Ukraine in 2023.
The plant genetic resources system in Ukraine safeguards more than 154 000 accessions of 2,002 species: 16% are local varieties, 5,9% are wild relatives of agricultural crops, and the rest are modern varieties and breeding and genetic lines. So far, only 2,780 seed samples are duplicated in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, but plans are underway to increase this over the coming years.