Contact wafa.khoury@fao.org for more information

Workshop objective:

Several countries in the Near East are among the largest wheat producers and consumers in the world. Wheat is the staple food crop in many developing countries, providing on average some 40 percent of the per capita calorie supply, and is especially important in the diets of the poorest.

Rusts are a major threat to a sustainable wheat production in the world, causing losses up to 80% of the harvest when epidemics occur. The potential impact of these diseases is particularly serious in the Near East, which accounts for over 15 million hectares of wheat. The production meets three quarters of the domestic demand in the region (data from 2006) and substantial imports for an equivalent of 1.8 billion dollars are made every year to cover the deficits. Any significant losses would increase the costs of imports and threaten the food security of millions of people.

The most common wheat rusts - stem, yellow, and leaf rusts - are present globally, wherever wheat is grown. Stem rust was a feared disease threat in many wheat-growing regions of the world due to the dramatic losses incurred by the epidemics experienced in Australia in the 1940s and in the United States in the early 1950s. For decades, stem rust had been largely under control due to the development and worldwide use of resistant varieties. This is no longer the case with the recent emergence of the new race Ug99 defeating most resistance genes in modern wheat varieties and threatening global production. The yellow rust remains one of the most widespread rust causing serious epidemics in various parts of the world depending on the weather conditions. During the 1980’s and the 1990’s, the world experienced a wave of devastating epidemics and yield losses that were caused by new races of the yellow rust that evolved in Africa and migrated to South Asia through the Near East.

In 2008, FAO launched its Wheat Rust Disease Global Programme (WRDGP) to contribute to global food security through the support to its Member countries in the prevention and management of emerging wheat rust diseases and in the enhancement of wheat productivity. This is achieved through the 5 components of the WRDGP, namely: 1) support to national policy for preparedness and contingency planning; 2) Enhancement of surveillance and early warning systems; 3) Enhancement of national wheat varietal registration programmes for release of resistant varieties; 4) Enhancement of seed systems for quick multiplication and distribution of quality seeds of resistant varieties; and 5) Improvement of wheat rust management at the field level through farmers’ training. The WRDGP reinforces, compliments and coordinates its activities with the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (partnership of ICARDA, CIMMYT, Cornell University and FAO).

Country preparedness and contingency planning is critical to prevent and manage emerging wheat rust diseases. Contingency planning is a management tool used to prepare an effective and appropriate response to potential crises, emergencies and disasters. It involves all those who will be required to work together before the emergency occurs (i.e. the preparedness phase) and most importantly at its onset. In the case of threats posed by transboundary pests like wheat rusts, national, regional and international collaboration is critical to an effective implementation of contingency plans.

In November 2008, FAO in collaboration with the Government of India organized the International Conference on Wheat Stem Rust Ug99 – A Threat to food Security in New Delhi. Thirty countries, with either confirmed Ug99 presence or at potential risk of infection, including Turkey, participated in the conference and adopted a declaration which calls for concerted efforts at national and regional level to contrast the spread of the disease. The declaration urges the countries to develop contingency plans for dealing with wheat rusts spread, and specifically Ug99, by taking advantage of the support and guidance of FAO and the other BGRI partners. The first step in this process requires that efforts are made to raise awareness among policy-makers, farmers and other stakeholders about wheat rusts.

It is in this context that FAO is facilitating the organization of national and regional workshops on contingency planning in close collaboration with the Governments of the concerned countries and its partners within the BGRI. The main objective of this “National awareness and contingency planning workshop for wheat rusts in Turkey” is to raise awareness among stakeholders on the status and threats posed by the emerging virulent wheat rust races for Turkey and the region, and to highlight the need for preparatory action to have a quick and effective response to manage and limit their spread in the country and beyond. This includes policy actions, surveillance, gene deployment, variety release and seed multiplication strategies, field management, as well as information sharing.

Multimedia190 | Last Update by Jenny Nelson | November 23, 2009 | 1:13 PM