Restoration 
Plantations and tree crop commodities 
Enhanced nutrition and food security 
Biodiversity, safeguarding and conservation 
Nationally determined contributions 
Bioenergy and biomaterials 
Blue carbon and peatlands 
Climate change adaptation 
Landscape governance 
Gender 
Silvopastoral systems 
Market-based agroforestry-forestry 
Farm-forest policy interface 
Agroecology 
Livelihood trajectory modelling and assessment 
Inclusive finance and business models 
Innovating finance for sustainable landscapes 
Public and private commitments to zero deforestation 
Orphan tree crops 
Effectiveness of approaches to sustainable supply 
Quality of FTA research for development 
Sentinel landscapes 
Foresight 
Seeds and seedlings delivery systems 
Smallholder tree-crop commodities 
By Ramni Jamnadass, Co-Leader, Tree Diversity, Domestication and Delivery, World Agroforestry Centre and Coordinator Flagship 1
In 2017, Flagship 1 Tree genetic resources to bridge production gaps and promote resilience will continue to enrich databases for a range of important tools and the knowledge framework already generated under FTA Phase I and previously. Figure 1 illustrates the already high annual use of products and indicating the visibility of the staff involved in research and development communities.
Overall, we will
- work towards safeguarding existing genetic diversity,
- seek new solutions for critical steps in the domestication and improvement of priority tree species; and
- investigate delivery pipelines for improved germplasm relevant to addressing the constraints for trees on farms to a) make desirable impacts on people’s livelihoods, and b) support delivery systems for landscape restoration initiatives.
Among the major outputs of our research this year will be a contribution to an assessment of the global status of biodiversity using an ecoregion-based approach.
We’re also working on a global survey of tree seed selection and its importance in forest and landscape restoration.
Additionally, we will see the first results of genome sequencing of both crop and tree species under the African Orphan Crops Consortium and systematic prioritization of species for further domestication.
One of our prime outputs this year will be an analysis of why institutional environments for agroforestry seed systems matter; and the publication of a number of technical fact sheets and guidelines will contribute to capacity development efforts in all regions.
Results from studies of fruit production and consumption related to domestication will be of particular gender sensitive relevance.
Bioversity’s International activities 2017
Bioversity’s forest-related research focuses primarily on conserving and managing sustainable use of forest tree genetic resources, in forests and woodlands as well as plantings, including providing decision support to restoration planners.
We work with national partners in government, universities and civil society, on species that are important for rural people in lower-income countries. Currently, we are carrying out research with community forestry associations which harvest and manage mahogany in forest concessions within the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Central America.
In several priority countries in Latin America, we work with public and private partners to support the sourcing of appropriate planting material.
In Central Asia, we collaborate with national partners to improve conservation management of populations of wild fruit and nut tree species of global significance.
In Central and Western Africa, we are working in moist forests with a variety of partners to reduce illegal logging and develop conservation strategies for valuable species; and in dry woodlands, to increase the success of forest restoration while improving the value of restored forests, particularly their contribution to nutrition of local people.
Our research focuses mainly on understanding patterns of genetic diversity, threats to genetic resources, variation in nutritional characteristics of food products derived from important tree species, and gender relations in conservation and management of forest resources.
The impact of our research is enhanced through our interaction with FAO and four regional networks of scientists and policy makers coordinated by Bioversity which we established in collaboration with FAO (for example APFORGEN), and by incorporating our key messages in training materials available here.
In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the private company China Happy Ecology we have initiated a regional forest genetic resources training centre for Southeast Asia in China and will hold the second training there in late summer, 2017.
Related events in 2017
Training workshop on the new version of the Africa Tree Finder
co-organized by ICRAF and IUCN
Date, time and location to follow
IUFRO 125th anniversary congress
Co-organizing a session on:
Food-trees in forest and farmlands: improving livelihood of communities in tropical regions” (session number 25) under General Congress, Theme 1: Forests for People.
IMMANA Grant: Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions
Project Inception meeting: 3rd and 4th March 2017
Project title: ENRICH- Enriching the Kenyan diet with consumption of fruits and vegetables by using reliable, cheap and fast consumer-generated data: a proof of principle study for real-time and in-situ metrics to assess fruit and vegetable intake by targeted consumers in Nairobi, Kenya.
Led by: Wageningen University
