An international consultation on the role of plant biodiversity in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of Reducing Hunger and Poverty was held at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai, India, on April 18 and 19, 2005. The consultation was organized jointly by the MSSRF, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) and the Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species (GFU). More than 100 policymakers, planners, agricultural scientists, nutritionists, donor representatives, farmer representatives, the international media and non-governmental organizations
attended the consultation. The initiative was sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Syngenta Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation