The National Programme for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops (National Programme PGR) explains the various aspects associated with the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources and defines the needs for action to improve their conservation and use.

The first National Programme was adopted by the Conference of Agriculture Ministers in 2002. It was fundamentally revised in 2012. This second programme is based on the Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has established the Advisory and Coordinating Committee for Agricultural and Horticultural Crops (BEKO) to monitor the implementation of the National Programme PGR.

The status of implementation of the National Programme PGR is described in detail in the BEKO Report about its second term of office "Die Umsetzung des Nationalen Fachprogramms pflanzengenetischer Ressourcen – Ein Bericht aus der zweiten Amtsperiode (2008 – 2014) des Beratungs- und Koordinierungsausschusses für genetische Ressourcen landwirtschaftlicher und gartenbaulicher Kulturpflanzen (BEKO)". The report ends with an overview of the priority areas of work for the BEKO's third term of office from 2015 to 2019.

The National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources in Germany (PGRDEU) is the central documentation system for plant genetic resources and serves as a national instrument for implementation.