A United Nations sponsored animal genetic research facility could open in Fresno County within the next two years.
Written by Hannah Esqueda
The non-profit conservation facility will house livestock breeds from more than 100 nations, bring world-class scientists to the area and offer training opportunities to local veterinarian students.
The World Heritage Animal Genomic Repository – Veterinary Institute (WHAGR-VI) aims to conserve the genetic information of 4,000 livestock breeds who are in danger of disappearing while also helping to address the world’s growing food shortage. The project is supported by the Kentucky-based Birchwood Conservancy and the Food and Agriculture Organization branch of the U.N. as part of a global initiative to help increase agricultural productivity.
A delegation of conservationists and scientists visited Fresno County last week to look at potential sites of 200-300 acres near Sanger. While no land has been purchased, the group said they are eager to get started.
“We have already been looking towards this area for the project for many years and we want to activate this as quickly as possible,” Lucinda Christian, Birchwood Conservancy president, said. “We would like to have the main building done and lights on in two years.”
While the non-profit institute will eventually be funded by the World Bank and U.N., the first phase of the project requires some local funding and the delegation met with potential donors during its visit.
“The local community has to embrace or want to support the initiative,” Christian said. “We all have a responsibility to show that we want this in the community.”
The first phase is expected to cost $11.78 million and will cover the land purchase, construction of the main buildings and equipment costs. Fifteen professional staffing positions will be created when the center opens as well as several jobs for support services.
The group said it identified the Sanger river bottom as an ideal location for the project after a lengthy and sometimes competitive international search.
“There was a good deal of arm-wrestling within the European Union before we could come out and say this is the site we selected,” Christian said. “Many European nations wanted to have this in their backyard.”
The Kings River area has many natural resources that make it an ideal location, she said. The soil microbes are very diverse and the delegation found that it was a good fit since there is already an established agriculture industry here.
Fresno County is already home to several public and private agriculture research labs, including the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, which is part of the University of California, and spice and vegetable group Olam International has its headquarters in Fresno.
Being so close to ag land is of particular importance to the WHAGR group because they hope to help increase food productivity around the world.
“[Food shortage] is one of the top ten issues that the United Nations is trying to come up with solutions for,” Christian said.
The WHAGR-VI facility would help address this problem by conserving heritage livestock breeds, thereby ensuring diversity within the world’s food supply. Heritage breeds are historic domesticated livestock that are the result of centuries of selective breeding for ideal traits, she said. They include poultry, cattle, sheep, working breed dogs, rabbits, horses, camels and domesticated insects.
Researchers said the commercial agriculture industry only relies on a handful of breeds that have been selected because of their high yield potential, however these animals are not as hearty as heritage breeds and are more susceptible to disease.
Christian cited the example of the American dairy industry relying on Holstein cows, a breed which suffers greatly from heat stress. The issue is costing the industry nearly a billion dollars every year but usage of heritage breeds who have a higher tolerance for heat would help mitigate the problem and ensure the continued genetic diversity of cattle, she said.
While heritage breeds are often less commercially successful than others, the delegation said the animals are still valuable to the farming industry. Because of their hearty nature, heritage breeds are well suited for organic and small farming.
Many have close cultural and historical ties to the countries they are from and others like the orchard pig, which is known for it’s maple-flavored meat, have helped shape our food choices and tastes.
The WHAGR institute seeks to preserve heritage breeds in a number of ways, including researching their genetics, housing the animals in a safe environment and breeding them using cutting-edge artificial fertilization technology.
Christian said the repository may one day house the genetic information for as many as 4,000 heritage livestock species, a crucial collection in case of world disaster.
“There is no system in place that is a network that protects animal genetic resources,” she said. “It’s critically important for food security.”
Christian said 110 U.N. member nations have already agreed to make this initiative a priority and most are expected to participate by sending their heritage breeds to the WHAGR-VI facility once its open. In this way the project will be similar to the world’s seed vault in the Arctic. The facility holds samples of seeds from most food crops and is meant to be a back up in case of regional or even global disaster.
While that may sound apocalyptic, the delegation said many heritage breeds are threatened in their native lands and by the commercial dominance of other breeds.
“We are losing species at an increasingly rapid rate,” said Jerry Taylor, delegation member and chair of animal sciences at the University of Missouri.
Nearly one mammalian breed and about two avian breeds are disappearing each month. Man-made climate change has further sped up this process and with growing global population, the world can’t afford to lose any more animals, he said.
“Once they’re lost, these animals are irretrievable,” Christian said.
Some of the breeds will be cared for onsite while others will remain in their native countries and have their genetic information frozen and stored within the facility.
Christian said James Steele will donate his architectural services to design the 25,000-30,000-square-foot facility. Steele is a professor of architecture at the University of Southern California and a member of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Christian said she anticipates the institute to be self-sustaining and once the land has been purchased it will placed in an agricultural conservation easement with El Rio Reyes Conservation Trust. The delegation said it has a memorandum of understanding with El Rio Reyes to ensure the land is never developed and will remain an agricultural asset for the community for generations to come.
The center will also eventually host veterinary classes in conjunction with local programs and be an educational resource for the community.
“We will have at least part of the center open to the public but we’ve got to be careful.
Obviously global bio-security must be a priority when you’re dealing with intellectual property and animals from other countries that may be the last of their kind,” Christian said.