BSF project "On-Farm Conservation & Mining of Local Faba bean Landraces for Biotic & Abiotic Stresses in Morocco"

" On-Farm Conservation & Mining of Local Faba bean Landraces for Biotic & Abiotic Stresses in Morocco" is one of the projects supported by the Benefit-Sharing Fund of the International Treaty for Food and Agriculture (Second Cycle). The faba bean is among the most ancient crops in Morocco and is highly embedded in the traditional crop systems. Furthermore, the Mediterranean Basin is the most important center of diversity for faba bean; however, but nowadays, frequent droughts, pests and diseases have severely affected the productivity and availability of this crop. The need for ex-situ and on-farm conservation of faba bean is becoming ever more imperative to cope with food security and climate change, and the local landraces offer an important genepool for sources of adaptation and tolerance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. The overall objective of this BSF project is to enhance on-farm conservation and use of faba bean landraces for food security through an integrated approach between on-farm, ex situ conservation and breeding activities for better management of genetic resources.