2.5.1: Number of plant and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium or long-term conservation facilities

Definition
The conservation of plant and animal genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA) in medium or long term conservation facilities (ex situ, in genebanks) represents the most trusted means of conserving genetic resources worldwide. Plant and animal GRFA conserved in these facilities can be easily used in breeding programmes as well, even directly on-farm.

The measure of trends in ex situ conserved materials provides an overall assessment of the extent to which we are managing to maintain and/or increase the total genetic diversity available for future use and thus protected from any permanent loss of genetic diversity which may occur in the natural habitat, i.e. in situ, or on-farm.

The plant component is calculated as the number of accessions of plant genetic resources secured in conservation facilities under medium or long term conditions, where an ‘accession’ is defined as a distinct sample of seeds, planting materials or plants which is maintained in a genebank.

The animal component is calculated as the number of local breeds (i.e. being reported to exist only in one country) stored within a genebank collection with an amount of genetic material stored which is required to reconstitute the breed in case of extinction

Rice Impacts
Maintaining the genetic diversity of rice seeds by maintaining a populated gene bank is important in a world where hybridization is common and genetic erosion. We cannot risk losing the beneficial traits of the traditional and wild rice species. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) owns a gene bank holding 130,000 accessions of rice related organisms. Considering how much rice is grown, cross-breeding will lead to a quick reduction in genetic diversity as rice converges towards a singular breed. Genetic uniformity is a danger to global food security, as seen in 1970 when the US maize crop was hit by a pest epidemic

Overlaps with SRP Instruments
Using good quality seeds can lead to lower seed rate, better emergence, more uniformity, less replanting, and help to increase resistance to insects and diseases and decrease weeds. Yield can increase by 5−20% resulting. SRP encourages to the use of good quality seeds by farmers toward improving productivity and profitability.
 * SRP Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation
 * 9: Pure Quality Seeds
 * SRP Performance Indicators
 * 1: Profitability
 * 3: Productivity: Grain Yield