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Dear Subscribers,

Here is a new Update of FAO-BiotechNews. There has been a break of 19 months since the last one and we sincerely regret this. 

As usual, we welcome any feedback you have about this Update. 

With best wishes

John

John Ruane
The Coordinator of FAO-BiotechNews, 
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
E-mail address: [log in to unmask] 
FAO Biotechnology website http://www.fao.org/biotech/en/ (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish)

*** NEWS *** (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-news/en/)

1) FAO international symposium on agricultural biotechnologies 

On 15-17 February 2016, the FAO international symposium on "The role of agricultural biotechnologies in sustainable food systems and nutrition" will take place at FAO Headquarters, Rome. The symposium will explore how the application of science and technology, particularly agricultural biotechnologies, can benefit smallholders in developing sustainable food systems and improving nutrition in the context of climate change. The symposium takes a multisectoral approach, covering the crop, livestock, forestry and fishery sectors. It also aims to cover the wide spectrum of biotechnologies that are available in these sectors. During the symposium, keynote speakers will address the plenary sessions on 15 and 16 February. A high-level ministerial segment will be held in the afternoon of 16 February. Three parallel sessions will also be held each day. For further information about the symposium, including participation and its advisory panel, see http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agribiotechs-symposium/en/ or contact [log in to unmask] Representatives of non-state actors (civil society, private sector, research/academic institutions and cooperatives/producer organizations) who are interested in attending can express their interest in participating before the deadline (6 December) at http://www.fao.org/partnerships/details-events/en/c/338318/    

2) International symposium on forest biotechnology for smallholders

On 19-22 May 2015, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and FAO organized the International Symposium on Forest Biotechnology for Smallholders in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil. The symposium covered the development of biotechnologies and their current and potential applications in the forestry sector, with special attention to smallholders and to tropical areas in different country contexts with a focus on improving productivity and supporting wood production by family farmers, including outgrowers. Documents, presentations and the symposium report are available at http://foris.fao.org/preview/90128/en/. Contact [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] for further information.

3) Genetic resources and genomics for adaptation of livestock to climate change

P.J. Boettcher, I. Hoffmann and R. Baumung from FAO's Animal Production and Health Division, together with collaborators from a number of research institutions worldwide, recently published an article entitled "Genetic resources and genomics for adaptation of livestock to climate change" in the journal Frontiers in Genetics. The report comprises conclusions from the Expert Workshop on Crop and Livestock Diversity for Climate Change Adaptation held in Rome, 8-12 October 2013. The workshop was a collaborative effort among FAO, Bioversity International, the Basque Center for Climate Change and DIVERSITAS. See http://www.fao.org/3/a-av223e.pdf (300 KB) or contact [log in to unmask] to request a copy.

4) Nematodes of small grain cereals

The 5th International Cereal Nematodes Initiative Workshop took place on 12-15 September 2015 in Ankara, Turkey. The workshop was organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey, and FAO. Proceedings of the workshop are now available, entitled "Nematodes of small grain cereals: Current status and research", edited by A.A. Dababat, H. Muminjanov and R.W. Smiley. Cereal nematodes are microscopic parasites that invade roots of wheat, barley, oats and other small grain cereals. The 384-page publication contains papers covering the history and status of cereal nematodes globally and regionally; research on morphological, genetic and ecological diversity; development and deployment of host resistance including development and applications of molecular technologies; and investigations into other strategies for reducing the magnitude of economic damage they cause. See http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4934e.pdf (4.5 MB) or contact [log in to unmask] for more information. 

5) FAO/CBD/OECD webinars on international databases on biosafety 

Following a first event in November 2014, a second webinar was organized on 27 May 2015 by FAO, the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that addressed the importance of establishing effective national communication and coordination mechanisms on the topic of biosafety. It was preceded by an online discussion in which countries shared their experiences, challenges and best practices on the national communication and coordination mechanisms in place in their country. The 21-page report of the second webinar is now available at http://www.fao.org/3/a-az873e.pdf (640 KB). Following recommendations from the second webinar, a third FAO/CBD/OECD webinar on "International databases on biosafety: Training on effective use of data on the databases" will take place on 9 December 2015. This will provide a training opportunity for participants with practical information on how to effectively use the data and knowledge contained in the three databases. For more information on the third webinar, see http://tiny.cc/Biosafety-Events. For further information, contact [log in to unmask]

6) Report of technical expert group meeting on synthetic biology

At the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which took place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, on 6-17 October 2014, one of the decisions made was to establish an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Synthetic Biology. A meeting of the AHTEG took place in Montreal, Canada on 21-25 September 2015. Substantive items on the meeting agenda included an operational definition of synthetic biology; the relationship between synthetic biology and biological diversity; and the similarities and differences between living modified organisms (as defined in the Cartagena Protocol) and organisms, components and products of synthetic biology techniques. Official and information documents prepared for the meeting, plus the meeting report, are available. See https://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=SYNBIOAHTEG-2015-01 or contact [log in to unmask] for more information.

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This newsletter contains news and events items relevant to agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries. Its main focus is on the activities of FAO, other UN agencies/bodies and the 15 CGIAR research centres. Items from the newsletter may be reproduced, provided that the source (FAO-BiotechNews, http://www.fao.org/biotech/) is given. 

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