Asia and the Pacific region is very rich in its diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP). Any threat to these valuable resources will not only jeopardize the health of millions of people in the region, but will also affect the livelihoods of resource poor farmers and communities that depend on them. Therefore, more focus should be placed on research, development and marketing of medicinal and aromatic plants by countries in Asia and the Pacific.

<p>At the kind invitation of the CGIAR Consortium Chief Executive Officer Dr Frank Rijsberman, the Multi-stakeholder Steering Committee of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) met at Agropolis International, Montpellier, France, April 7-9, 2014. Key Outcomes – Members of the GFAR Steering Committee decided that: &nbsp; &nbsp; GFAR and CGIAR renewed their commitment to working in close partnership across programmes and to ensuring a shared vision and implementation for a successful GCARD3 process.