Thematic background study

Provides an overview of key aspects relating to the use of genetic resources of cultivated freshwater aquatic macrophytes (FAMs), including main farmed species, drivers affecting the FAM farming sector, major stakeholders, and conservation status.

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At its Fifteenth Regular Session, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture endorsed the preparation of a thematic study on the genetic resources of freshwater aquatic macrophytes (FAMs) of relevance for food and agriculture. This is an initiative in support of the preparation of the Report on The State of the World's Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (http://www.fao.org/3/CA0454EN/ca0454en.pdf). The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the relevance of FAMs for food security and human well-being. The cultivation of FAMs for food production, as well as for non-food uses, has long been unrecognized and underreported in most national and international agriculture and aquaculture statistics, including statistics regularly reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) by Member Countries. However, it is well known that cultivated FAMs play a pivotal role in food security in many countries, especially in the developing countries of South and Southeast Asia