Introduction

Managing the biological diversity of crop and livestock genetic resources is of fundamental importance: (i) as a means of survival for the world's rural poor (Smale 2006); (ii) as a mechanism for buffering against output losses due to emerging pests and diseases, even in fully commercialised agricultural systems (Heisey et al. 1997); (iii) as an input into locally sustainable, indigenous technology systems (Bellon et al. 1997; Anderson 2003); (iv) as a means of satisfying the evolving tastes and preferences of consumers as economies change (Evenson et al. 1998); and (v), as a biological asset for the future genetic improvement on which the global supply of food and agricultural products depends (Brown 1990; Koo et al. 2004).

Geneticists often hypothesise that rare, locally adapted genotypes may be found among the varieties and breeds maintained by farmers in extreme or heterogeneous environments. Some genotypes are thought to contain tolerance or resistance traits that are not only valuable to the farmers who manage them but also to the global genetic resource endowment on which future improvement of crop and livestock depends. The foremost policy challenge is that many of the domesticated landscapes of conservation interest are found in poorer regions of the world, in nations undergoing rapid social and economic change.

Crop and livestock genetic resources are managed sustainably when they satisfy the present needs of farm families while also retaining their genetic integrity for the longer-term needs of society.