in the 1990s, the Commission coordinated efforts in more than 100 countries to assess and report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,and led negotiations that culminated in 1996 when 150 countries adopted the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. As the first framework to succeed in integrating conservation and utilization activities, the Global Plan of Action also recognized the crucial roles played by farmers,seed curators and breeders in managing these resources.
Building on the Global Plan of Action, work proceeded on two other groundbreaking initiatives.