Malaysia National Information Sharing Mechanism

Project Introduction

Malaysia was one of the 155 countries who participated in the fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) in June 1996 at Leipzig, Germany. The conference adopted the Global Plan of Action (GPA) as the key to a successful conservation and sustainable utilization of world plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The Plan represents an important contribution to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in the field of food and agriculture and it is one of the supporting elements of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

In the middle of 2003, the Malaysia, together with seven other countries from South and South East Asia signed a collaboration project agreement with FAO on the "Implementation of the GPA in Asia". The project supported the establishment of the country's National Information Sharing Mechanism on PGRFA.

Project Objectives

The purposes of the FAO/ Malaysia cooperative project, GCP/RAS/186/JPN, are:

to promote the implementation of the twenty priority activities of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) for the conservation and sustainable utilization of the plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Malaysia,
to contribute to the establishment of continuing monitoring framework of the GPA implementation at national and regional level and mechanism for gathering and sharing information, as well as for priority setting for the GPA implementation.

This will be achieved through

a thorough assessment of the present status of PGRFA in the country and region for the identification of needs and effective strategies for conservation and utilization of PGRFA;
the establishment of a national information sharing (clearing-house) mechanism on the GPA Implementation (NISM-GPA);
capacity building and training for National PGRFA Programmes;
sharing of experiences in PGRFA in situ conservation, and on-farm management;
the improvement of the regional cooperation.

Project Organization

The National Focal Point of the project is the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry (MOA). Ministry of Agriculture has been the focal point and coordinating organization of many internationally collaborated projects related to agriculture in Malaysia. Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI), an agency under MOA is the implementing agency of the project. MARDI is a statutory body undertaking research and development (R&D) in food and tropical agriculture. It maintains close liaison with various national and international research organizations, universities and networking groups. Agreeing to implement this project is one of the many commitments that MARDI has made in ensuring world is guaranteed of secured food and poverty is eradicated.