Status of Agricultural Genetic Resources in Chitwan, Nepal
Pallavi Shrestha (90) Agricultural genetic resources are the biological basis of food security. The term agricultural genetic resources include plant as well as livestock animal genetic resources which are used for food and agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines plant genetic resources as ‘the reproductive or vegetative propagating material of: cultivated varieties (cultivars) in current use and newly developed varieties; obsolete cultivars; primitive cultivars (landraces); wild and weed species; near relatives of cultivated varieties; and special genetic stocks (including elite and current breeder's lines and mutants)’. These resources are used as food, feed, fiber, textiles, and energy. Their conservation and sustainable use is critical not only for feeding humanity, but also for environmental conservation and sustainable development. Nepal is an agricultural country, rich in biodiversity. Despite covering less than 0.1% of the world’s land area, Nepal