Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

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    The Inventory

    This online version of the Inventory presents, for each measure, the title and a brief description with information on implementing organization(s), start year, objectives, core elements, key outcomes, and, if applicable, lessons learned. It thus allows users to quickly identify those examples that may be of interest to them. A hyperlink to the original submission is provided, which includes additional information, such as on the history and context of the presented measure, challenges encountered, or target groups reached. In this way, users can get a more comprehensive idea of the measure in question and the specific context for which it was developed.
     
    To facilitate navigation, the Inventory is subdivided into eleven categories. Measures or practices that fall under more than one category are listed under each one that applies. Furthermore, information is provided on the type(s) of measures that are typically involved, such as technical, administrative, legal, and/or others, and on the relevant sub-article of Article 9 that is addressed. Additional search options allow searching by country, region, free text and keyword.
     
     
     
     
     
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    Number of records: 233

    56) Varieties for Diversity

    In 2013, the German Plant Breeders’ Association (BDP), in co-operation with the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMEL) and the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), established the initiative ‘Varieties for Diversity’. The objective is to enhance the availability of improved varieties to anybody who would wish to use those for the purposes and under the conditions of the Multilateral System (MLS). Thereby, the Varieties for Diversity initiative aims at implementing the principles of the breeders’ exemption also to those who might not be able to access the varieties concerned under normal market conditions. The core component is that protected premium plant varieties of German breeders are included in the MLS of the International Treaty. The varieties, including their climatic adaptations, are comprehensively described to facilitate the targeted selection of suitable plant material. They are easily accessible to anyone who signs the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) through the German National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources. For the genetic resources themselves, no payment is charged, but the recipient may have to pay for shipping costs and the necessary plant health certificates. So far, more than 300 varieties of German breeders have been included in the MLS.

    Category: 6.Facilitation of farmers’ access to a diversity of PGRFA through community seed banks, seed networks and other measures improving farmers’ choices of a wider diversity of PGRFA.

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative; Legal; Others

    57) Potato Accelerated Release Program

    Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Potato Accelerated Release Program began in 1998. It is a two-phase process to fast track the release of promising potato selections developed at the Fredericton and Lethbridge Research and Development Centres of AAFC to the producers. In phase one, 10-15 new selections are offered to potato producers each February for two years of non-exclusive field testing. These early favorites are typically at year six of a testing and selection program that traditionally took about twelve years. For a fee of $100 per selection, plus applicable taxes, growers receive a limited quantity of breeder's selection seed and non-exclusive rights to conduct their own field performance and quality evaluation trials for two years. In phase two, following the non-exclusive testing, AAFC invites potato producers to submit cash bids to procure a further three-year period of exclusive testing. At the end of this testing, or sooner at the request of the producer and farmers, an eight-year, renewable license to commercialize a selection may be negotiated. In 2018, in consultation with growers’ representatives, AAFC began the process of modernizing its potato breeding and commercialization programs. This process is currently still in progress.

    Category: 7.Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative

    58) Western Wheat Breeding Core Support Agreement

    Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) is a farmer-funded and farmer-directed non-profit organization investing in agricultural research that benefits western Canadian farmers. Since 1995, WGRF and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have collaborated on western wheat and barley variety development, through a series of collaborative agreements stating contributions of the parties and shared goals. The objective is to provide mutual financial and technical support and to facilitate the development of wheat and barley varieties for Western Canadian farmers with higher yields, improved agronomic traits, end-use properties, and better disease and insect resistance. The investment of WGRF relies on check-off payments of farmers in several provinces of western Canada on wheat and barley sold. This money is reinvested in the development of new wheat and barley varieties at AAFC. Farmers are part of the decision-making committee responsible to identify the needs of new varieties and traits creating economic, social or environmental be¬nefits. New varieties may be offered for testing purposes to farm¬ers who contribute to their evaluation. Key outcomes of the collaboration are wheat and barley varieties that are adapted to various agroecological zones ‒ more than 150 since 1996 ‒ and several research projects focusing on sustainable use of PGRFA.

    Category: 7.Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative

    59) Farmer-breeder groups

    The Association of Indonesian Seed Banks and Farmers’ Agricultural Technology (AB2TI) was established in 2012. The main purpose was to enhance the knowledge and capacities of farmers in plant breeding, e.g. crossing and selection, and to make them more independent in seed production. To date, farmer-breeder groups have developed 3600 varieties of crossed rice, mostly based on local germplasm. The association supports these activities by organizing trainings and supporting networking among members. Members of the association also sell the seed they produce to fellow members and farmers in the surrounding communities. Through these activities, farmers become aware of the importance of conserving local germplasm, and at the same time, has increased their economic opportunities.

    Category: 7.Participatory approaches to research on PGRFA, including characterization and evaluation, participatory plant breeding and variety selection

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    60) Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) initiative

    Chile is one of the six pilot countries of the FAO- Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded global project on conservation and sustainable management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), an initiative launched in 2002. After project approval, a discussion between 2007 and 2009, led by Ministry of Agriculture, regarding GIAHS conservation activities for Chiloé Archipelago follows. These discussions finally led to the designation of the Chiloé Archipelago in Chile as a GIAHS in 2011. The objectives of GIAHS initiative in Chile include (1) to support the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, its associated cultural and ancestral knowledge, and the goods and services it provides; (2) to develop and implement market strategies that support agrobiodiversity conservation, know-how and sustainable uses while improving local rural livelihoods; and (3) to incorporate conservation principles and agrobiodiversity valuation considerations into public-sector policies and programs. Activities relating to this initiative include capacity and awareness development, community seed banks, value-chain development and other value-creating and cultural activities (e.g. development of tourism) as well as participatory research. Lessons learned include that the sustainability of such initiatives can be enhanced by establishing governance structures that facilitate articulation of the different public and private actors; action plans further contribute to the sustainability.

    Category: 1.Recognition of local and indigenous communities’, farmers’ contributions to conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, such as awards and recognition of custodian/guardian farmers

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative