According to the Convention on Biological Diversity , genetic resources are living material containing genes of immediate or potential value for humanity. Plant genetic resources thus comprise all our cultivated plants, together with a large number of their wild relatives, since the latter often have valuable characteristics that can be used in plant breeding. As a result of genetic engineering, more and more of our biological diversity can be considered a genetic resource.
Modern agriculture uses a narrow range of varieties.
These are the result of a long process of plant breeding and have a narrow genetic base. Previous generations, on the other hand, made use of countless landraces with wide genetic variation. If action is not taken against this genetic depletion, the consequences could be serious. The majority of our most important cultivated crops are not wild-growing in the Nordic countries. The genetic resources of these crops comprise modern varieties, old landraces and breeding lines with important characteristics, and material from research projects.