Ex Situ Conservation of Opuntia spp. Germplasm in a Complementary Agriculture Model

Mexico, as a megadiverse country, harbors a large part of its biodiversity in socially owned lands, such as ejidos and agrarian communities. These areas are fundamental for the conservation of local varieties that ensure food availability, an example of which is the Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GRFA), such as Opuntia spp., Agave spp., Yucca spp., and other native plants. Despite this biological wealth, rural communities face challenges such as poverty and the abandonment of agricultural production. However, this also represents an opportunity to implement conservation and production schemes with accessible technologies. The conservation of these resources is crucial for food security and nutrition, especially in a context of climate change and other challenges. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol are important instruments for biodiversity conservation and equity in access to and use of genetic resources. There is a need to reconcile germplasm conservation with food production, and strategies such as the establishment of low-cost conservation-production modules can be beneficial to rural communities whose livelihoods often depend on agriculture.