This publication presents the proceedings a meeting organized and implemented by the Asia & Pacific Seed Association and the Department of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangkok, Thailand in close collaboration with the Seed and Plant Genetic Resources Service of the FAO. In line with the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action, the Meeting recognized that one of the major challenges facing most countries in Asia and the Pacific is the need to invest significant resources into strengthening their capacity to increase the availability of good quality seeds of a wider range of plant varieties. This will contribute to the maximization of both agrobiodiversity and productivity, in order to achieve national food security while reducing environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. The Meeting proposed and agreed to establish a regional seed network to facilitate the exchange of information and expertise among countries and to coordinate policies and programmes designed to strengthen and improve local seed production and distribution systems in Asia and the Pacific. The Seed Network for Asia and the Pacific (SNAP) will facilitate inter-country scientific and technical collaboration on seed production and supply, and promote crop genetic resources evaluation, conservation and utilization in the region.

This book contains edited and revised papers from a conference on 'Science and Technology for Managing Plant Genetic Diversity in the 21st Century' held in Malaysia in June 2000, organised by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). It includes keynote papers and some 40 additional ones, covering ten themes.The major scientific challenges to developing a global vision for the next century are identified and key research objectives are also discussed.