ABSTRACT
Ethiopia is the centre of origin for a number of crops, such as coffee (Coffea arabica) and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius); it is also the cradle of domestication of major agricultural crops, including tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum turgidum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and a number of legume and oilseed crops (Engels and Hawkes, 1991). Over 90% of Ethiopia's agricultural production still depends on local varieties that are genetically diverse, have evolved in specific environments and contain a multitude of varied and desirable traits. Strategies for agricultural development aim to increase production and productivity by promoting just a few crops and modern varieties. Plant genetic resources (PGR) that were previously maintained and used by farmers have become at risk of genetic erosion (Worede et al., 1999). Since the 1970s, the Ethiopian government, in collaboration with international donors, and conservation and development agencies, has been attempting to counter this threat. In 1976, the Plant Genetic Resources Centre/Ethiopia (PGRC/E), now the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC), was established as the national gene bank of Ethiopia. Since its foundation, IBC has aimed to balance both ex situ and in situ conservation. Such an integrated approach was, and continues to be, an example for PGR programmes in Africa, and in the world as a whole.
