Genetic resources (GenRes) underpin production in agriculture and forestry; they are essential for long-term food security, delivery of non-food products and adaptation to changing climate. Still, their potential remains largely unharnessed. GenRes Bridge aims to strengthen their conservation and sustainable use by accelerating collaborative efforts and widening capacities in plant, forest and animal GenRes domains by sharing perspectives, exchanging best practices, harmonizing standards, trainings and sharing resources under the auspices of the three pan-European GenRes networks: ECPGR, EUFORGEN and ERFP. Collaboration among GenRes and wider biodiversity actors will widen capacities and increase the effectiveness of sustainable management of GenRes through the development of an integrated GenRes strategy, generation of tools and user-oriented services such as a gateway to ease the navigation through the digital GenRes landscape, and policy recommendations. Apart from Management and Communication WPs, the project includes three thematic WPs: • European integrated GenRes strategy: engaging a wide range of stakeholders and expanding geographical scope of existing networks to European Neighborhood Policy countries to share perspectives, knowledge and current strategies to develop an integrated GenRes strategy; • GenRes in action: taking up science results into GenRes management and strategy preparation, collating demonstration cases, improving user-oriented services, standards and quality management; • Enhancing GenRes data delivery: improving quality and quantity of information already stored in the central information systems (EURISCO, EUFGIS and EFABIS) through training and linking them to other databases. GenRes Bridges consortium consists of 16 partners, selected through a broad consultation, representing existing European GenRes structures committed to support long-term implementation of the integrated GenRes strategy and its recommendations.

The overarching objective of Farmer’s Pride is to establish a network of stakeholders and conservation sites that effectively coordinates conservation actions to safeguard the wealth of Europe’s in situ plant genetic resources (PGR) and integrates the user community to maximize their sustainable use. Specifically, to address the challenge and scope of the SFS-04-2017 work programme, Farmer’s Pride will: a) build relationships between existing diverse PGR stakeholder networks, and where necessary create new partnerships to establish a unified network of stakeholders involved in PGR conservation and sustainable use; b) enhance existing knowledge of European landrace and crop wild relative genetic diversity and showcase how it can be effectively secured and managed; c) use social science and economic tools to establish the value of in situ PGR populations and individual traits, as well as a cost effective means of conserving them; d) use predictive characterization methods to identify valuable traits in in situ PGR populations, targeting those most vital for satisfying future agricultural and market needs; e) establish a mechanism to facilitate the flow of plant genetic material from in situ populations to the user community, both directly and via ex situ collections; f) develop and establish a durable governance and resourcing structure for the European network of in situ PGR conservation sites and stakeholders; g) promote public awareness of the value of PGR for agriculture and consumers; and h) design and implement a network of European sites and stakeholders that conserves the breadth of PGR diversity found in situ. Through these activities, Farmer’s Pride will result in significant strengthening of European capacities for the conservation, management and sustainable use of in situ PGR as a foundation for increased competitiveness in the farming and breeding sectors, and ultimately for long-term food and nutritional security in Europe.