FTA research on safeguarding supports the availability of TGR that are the raw materials for tree domestication activities. Safeguarded TGR are also important sources of site-matched planting material for restoration activities. The supply of these is supported through research on the more effective development of delivery pathways. Domestication research also supports the development of superior planting material for delivery. These three elements interact within and beyond the time scale of individual phases of the FTA program and with the ongoing work of partner institutions.
FTA’s research on TGR is crucial for supporting the impact of its other research areas. Close interaction with the livelihood system and landscape research domains is mediated through the better provision of tree planting material well matched to production and landscape contexts. These interactions relay positive effects to FTA’s value chain and climate change research domains. Through coresearch and the codevelopment of decision support tools and by capacity building, stakeholders will better define priorities, select methods and improve and implement practices and policies for TGR safeguarding.
Through the adoption of model domestication pathways and decision-support tools, stakeholders will more widely and more effectively promote and apply new approaches to tree genetic improvement in combination with well-established existing methods. This ensures faster, more targeted and better sustained genetic gains for a wide range of tree species.
More efficient and inclusive tree planting material delivery options and support tools, developed through coresearch and through engagement with stakeholders, result in the upgrading and commercialization of input suppliers, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involving women and youth. These suppliers more effectively provide growers with a range of more productive, diverse and/or site-matched tree planting materials that provide for greater profitability and/or resilience.