Usefulness of Certain Animal/Plant Genetic Resources in Enhancing Food and Nutritional Security under Changing Climatic Conditions

Genetic resources for food and agriculture are the biological basis for world food and nutrition security that can improve the livelihoods. India is one of the mega biodiversity centres, endowed with wide floristic, microbial, animal, marine and freshwater/estuarine diversity. About 40 mammalian species have been domesticated for food but the major contribution in livestock production is from 14 species. It has been estimated that some 1500 breeds of the domestic animal species in the world are now at high risk of extinction. About 30% of plant species are endemic to India. Global climatic conditions are changing due to indiscriminate anthropogenic activities, leading to loss of biodiversity, ecosystem and natural environment. The genetic erosion of wild and semi-wild relatives of the domesticated crops and animals is alarming due to threats to ecosystems/breeding habitats. Further, they are vulnerable to changing climatic conditions. This germplasm provides raw materials for breeding improvement in terms of higher yields, which in turn enhances food production and nutritional security. Therefore, all the available genetic resources should be conserved for the present and future generations for sustainable development in the years to come.