b'Nyon, Switzerland - December 2020SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patternsACKNOWLEDGEthateachyear,anes- ASSERT that more resilient seeds with better product-shelf timated one third of all food produced life can help to reduce food waste; and that the seed indus-equivalentto1.3billiontonnesworthtry is committed to collaborate with the value chain for more about USD 1 trillionends up rotting inresponsible production and consumption;rubbishbinsorspoiling IMPROVED VARIETIES CANASSERT that the seed sector is helping to due to poor transportationreduce agricultural water use by developing and harvesting; HELP MAKE AGRICULTURALvarieties, which require less water for their ACKNOWLEDGE that land degradation, de- WATER AND LAND USE MOREgrowth; that improved seeds also require less clining soil fertility, and unsustainable waterEFFICIENT land, lessening the rates of land conversion use all inhibit our natural resource base from supplying food;and deforestation; and that by enabling agriculture to grow but that improved seed and good agricultural practices canmore with less, improved seeds lead to a smaller environmen-help to overcome this challenge; tal footprint.SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impactsNOTE that more than one quarter of thebrings unstable weather patterns, disease, pests, and extreme worldsgreenhousegasemissionscomeweather events, such as droughts and flooding;fromagriculture,forestry,andland-useASSERTthattheseedsectorcanhelpre-change, and that - withoutduce agricultural emissions by breeding crop action-theseemissionsTHE SEED SECTORplantstobettercapturecarbon,forexam-are likely to increase as theCAN HELP FARMERSple, by developing plants with extensive root global population grows; ADAPT TOsystems;NOTEthatagriculturalemissionsmustbeCLIMATE CHANGE ASSERTthattheseedindustrycanhelp reducedbytwo-thirdsfrom2010levelsinfarmers adapt to climate change by developing crops that are order to keep global temperature rise to less than 2 o C; more resistant to drought and other symptoms of a changing NOTE that farmers are also impacted by climate change, whichclimate.SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity lossACKNOWLEDGE that the world needs toNOTEthattheseedsectorreliesongeneticresourcesto shift its current patterns of food productioncontinue improving seeds; and that the sector helps protect and consumption in orderbiodiversitythroughitssupportforaccessand tocurbbiodiversityloss OUR SECTOR HELPSbenefit sharing mechanisms, such as the Interna-and deforestation; PROTECT BIODIVERSITYtional Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food NOTE that the 2019 IPBESTHROUGH ACCESS ANDand Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Convention on Global Assessment ReportBENEFIT SHARING Biological Diversity (CBD);on Biodiversity and Ecosystem services findsASSERT that the seed sector also contributes to that the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems will underminecreate new diversity among varieties. In a recent study it was progress towards the SDGs, notably on poverty, hunger, health,demonstrated that the diversity of tomato varieties considera-water, cities, climate, oceans and land; bly increased since the 1970s.SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable developmentNOTE that global and regional crises, in- in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Continuous adapted vari-cluding the COVID-19 pandemic and out- eties and good quality seed enable farmers to maximise yield breaksofplantpestandwhile remaining resistant to climate change, disease, have led to crop THE COMPLEXITIES OFpests, and diseases;failuresinAfrica,LatinTHE CHALLENGES REQUIREAFFIRM that the complexities of the chal-AmericaandAsia,high- EVERYONE IN THE VALUElenges above require everybody in the food lightingtheweaknessesCHAIN TO COLLABORATE value chain to collaborate, including the public and vulnerabilities in ourand private sectors; and that this collaboration food systems and global food supply chains; is the only way to a global food system fit for the future.NOTE that the seed sector shares the common unifying goal of providing quality seed for farmers around the world, including ISF, Chemin du Reposoir 5-7, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland, T +41 22 365 4420, F +41 22 365 4421, isf@worldseed.org, http://www.worldseed.orgspecial 4 pager.indd 54 2021-06-08 8:20 AM'