In September 2002, the international press reported that looters had destroyed Afghanistan's largest crop seed collection. The seed was dumped so that looters could take the plastic containers in which it was stored. "Ironically, the looters took only the plastic containers and left the seed behind," says Dr. Nasrat Wassimi, Kabul coordinator of the Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan, which is coordinating with seed genebanks in five countries to restore the lost collections.

The looters destroyed hundreds of samples of Afghanistan's rich agricultural heritage. These included samples of wheat, barley, chickpea, lentil, melons, pistachio, almond, pomegranate, other fruits, and pasture crops. Many of the seed samples were of traditional farmers' varieties, bred over generations to prosper under particular local conditions, and tailored to the tastes of Afghan consumers.

Agricultural genetic resources are the biological basis of global food security. The indigenous varieties of any country evolve with genetic adaptations specific to their environment. These genetic resources form the raw material from which new crop species are derived, and they form a pool from which all species draw traits that allow them to adapt to stresses, such as diseases and pests. The ICARDA mandate region lies in the heart of the birthplace of agriculture. Afghanistan is the center of diversity for several species of global significance: carrot, radish, cherry, plum, apricot, peach, pear, apple, walnut, pistachio, fig, grape, pomegranate, melon and almond.

ICARDA and Future Harvest partners have long experience in utilizing cutting edge genetic technologies to assess, preserve and protect the genetic resources of targeted countries. Unique and diverse genetic resources are key to developing new market niches. In post conflict situations, ICARDA can provide storage and restore functional, cost-effective, cold storage facilities for holding national collection and repatriate duplicate accessions being held at international facilities. Using a community-based participatory approach, in situ conservation efforts can be implemented for on-farm conservation of agrobiodiversity.

The Future Harvest Consortium recovers seed from duplicate collections around the world for repatriation when collections are lost or damaged. The table below lists Afghanistan germplasm located with Consortium members of the CGIAR.

In early August 2003, a three-week collection effort will collect unique and endangered Afghanistan crop germplasm. Scientists from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and specially trained Afghans will re-collect crop seed in northern Afghanistan. Upon their return to ICARDA headquarters in Syria, the collected material will be planted to increase the seed and then placed in the Center's genebank. Once there, it will remain safe and secure while being made available to the international scientific community for research and development. Most importantly, this material will be available to broaden the genetic base for wheat and food legume breeding efforts in Afghanistan.

For more information: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG