FAO Plant Treaty Strengthens Global Efforts to Build Climate-Resilient Food Systems

Rome: The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is playing an increasingly important role in efforts to make global food and farming systems more resilient to climate change, biodiversity loss and other emerging challenges.

The treaty, administered through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), focuses on conserving, sustainably using and fairly sharing the benefits arising from the world’s plant genetic resources. FAO describes the agreement as an important safeguard for the plants that underpin global food production.

Protecting the Genetic Diversity Behind Food Production

Plant genetic resources include the genetic material found in crops, farmers’ varieties, crop wild relatives and other plants with actual or potential value for agriculture. This diversity provides researchers and farmers with material that can be used to develop crops better suited to changing environmental conditions.

FAO says genetic resources are particularly important for developing varieties capable of coping with changing weather patterns, extreme events, pests and diseases. Greater access to diverse genetic material can therefore contribute to climate adaptation and stronger agricultural livelihoods.

Four Key Areas of Action

The International Plant Treaty supports a global approach built around several interconnected priorities.

Expanding access to plant genetic resources: Countries, researchers and plant breeders need access to diverse genetic material to develop improved crop varieties.

Fair benefit-sharing: The treaty establishes mechanisms intended to ensure that benefits arising from the use of covered genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably.

Supporting sustainable agriculture: The sustainable use of plant genetic resources can help farmers maintain diverse production systems while protecting natural resources.

Strengthening food security: Greater crop diversity can provide additional options for adapting agriculture to climate change and other disruptions.

These objectives are embedded in the treaty’s framework for conservation, sustainable use and equitable benefit-sharing.

A Global Pool of Crop Diversity

One of the treaty’s most important mechanisms is its Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing. It facilitates access to genetic resources covered by the system while establishing arrangements for sharing benefits from their use.

FAO reported in June 2026 that the system provides access to a global genepool containing more than 2 million samples of important crops. More than 7 million samples of plant genetic resources had been exchanged through the system, according to the organization.

Such international cooperation is particularly significant because agricultural systems in different countries depend on crop diversity originating from other regions of the world.

Climate Change Raises the Stakes

Changing temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, droughts, extreme weather and evolving pests can place pressure on agricultural production. Crop varieties that perform well under current conditions may not necessarily remain suitable as environmental conditions change.

Maintaining a broad genetic base gives plant breeders and farmers more options for developing and selecting varieties adapted to future conditions. FAO has highlighted plant genetic resources as essential tools for climate adaptation and agricultural resilience.

Farmers and Indigenous Communities Remain Central

The treaty also recognizes the contribution of farmers and local and Indigenous communities that have conserved and developed crop diversity over generations.

FAO’s International Treaty Secretariat has emphasized that Farmers’ Rights and the knowledge of communities that safeguard crop diversity are central to protecting plant genetic resources for future generations.

International Cooperation Continues to Expand

The importance of the treaty has been underscored by recent developments. In June 2026, Ukraine deposited its instrument of accession and was set to become the treaty’s 156th Contracting Party. FAO said Ukraine’s accession would strengthen international cooperation around crop genetic resources and food security.

The treaty also marked 22 years since entering into force in June 2026, highlighting more than two decades of international cooperation focused on crop diversity and food security.

Seeds as an Investment in the Future

The growing focus on plant genetic resources reflects a broader understanding that food security depends not only on producing more food, but also on preserving the biological diversity needed to adapt agriculture to future challenges.

By facilitating access to crop diversity, encouraging sustainable use and promoting equitable benefit-sharing, the International Plant Treaty provides an international framework for protecting an important foundation of global agriculture.

For a world facing climate uncertainty and increasing pressure on food systems, safeguarding the diversity contained in seeds and other plant genetic resources could prove crucial to building more resilient agriculture for generations to come.