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

    106) Seeds of Expertise for the Vegetable Sector of Africa (SEVIA)

    Seeds of Expertise for the Vegetable Sector of Africa (SEVIA) is a private-sector driven project that started in 2013, based on cooperation of two vegetable seed companies (East-West Seed and Rijk Zwaan), a department of Wageningen University and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Tanzania, SEVIA collaborates with public and private sector partners, including the Tanzanian Horticulture Association. SEVIA aims to contribute to the development of the vegetable industry in Africa by testing existing genetic resources for Africa and breeding improved African vegetable varieties, and to increasing food security by developing and disseminating adapted technical innovations that enhance productivity and increase farmers’ income. Demonstrations in farmers’ fields are at the ‘heart’ of this project: SEVIA shows farmers – in different regions of Tanzania – how they can improve the cultivation practice, to increase the yield and quality of their vegetable production. SEVIA research has, for example, identified tomato varieties that are resistant to bacterial wilt and discovered that plastic mulch increases yields in cooler conditions and decreases yields in hot conditions.

    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

    107) Promoting the implementation of Article 9 through international cooperation and Official Development Assistance (ODA) (I)

    The goal of the "Strengthening Agro-biodiversity in Southern Africa" project is to strengthen food security in Southern Africa by promoting seed diversity and agro-ecological practices through an inclusive, evidence-based dialogue with governments at regional and country levels by empowered farmer’s and farmer support organizations. The project will enable the use of research and information on seed and soil fertility policies, regulations and programmes by small-scale farmers and farmer support organizations in advocating for agrobiodiversity, food security and farmers’ rights. Furthermore, policies and programmes that protect and support farmer-managed seed systems are being developed and promoted so as to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of the industrial food system. The project started in 2016 and is implemented by the African Centre for Biodiversity.

    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

    108) Strengthening seed delivery systems for dryland cereals and legumes in drought-prone areas of Uganda: the Cluster Granary Seed (CGS) project (updated in May 2021)

    In 2016, the Cluster Granary Seed Project was implemented in three districts of Uganda, led by the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute of NARO, in partnership with World Vision Uganda, the National Plant Genetic Resource Centre and farmer groups. The goal was to contribute to enhancing food security and climate change adaptation in drought-prone areas by strengthening seed systems of target crops, including sorghum, finger-millet, pearl-millet, cowpea, pigeon pea, and groundnut. Specific objectives were to: (1) assemble the diverse local and improved genetic resources; (2) establish an effective and sustainable seed delivery model for increasing access to quality seeds, and (3) build the capacity of farming communities to produce and conserve seeds. Over 300 local and improved genetic resources of the target crops were assembled and characterized through farmer-led demonstrations. As a result, 30 farmer groups are now producing and conserving quality seeds for their communities. A ‘cluster granary’ seed delivery model was developed and operationalized, and over 1500 households have benefited through seed sharing, training sessions, voluntary visits to demonstration sites, World Food Day Celebrations, ‘Plant Clinics’, interaction with scientists, and participating in national agricultural shows and related events. Lessons learned include that capacity building of farmers to produce in diversity and conservation of quality seeds and deliberate conservation for future use is important.

    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

    109) Promotion of Farmers’ Rights through awareness raising and capacity building materials

    Since 2015, the Development Fund together with its partner, Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA), have been involved in promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights and ensuring that the Government of Malawi’s policies support agrobiodiversity conservation and management. The main objective is to increase awareness of and contribute to the realization of Farmers’ Rights through publication and dissemination of capacity building materials for the realization of Farmer’s Rights in Malawi. The publication aims to provide tools to inform and create awareness amongst farming communities, relevant stakeholders and decision-makers; and to provide relevant information that can guide them in the development of protocols, community instruments, policies, legal and administrative measures ensuring the recognition and implementation of Farmers’ Rights. The partners have influenced the development of the new seed policy and legislation for Malawi to ensure that they support farmer seed systems that are critical for the realization of Farmers’ Rights. A central lesson learned is the importance of involving community members in the development of capacity building material as they contribute with reality checks on the local context.

    Category: 9.Training, capacity development and public awareness creation

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    110) National IPR tools and measures supporting Article 9 of the ITPGRFA: the farmers’ privilege

    In Switzerland, several intellectual property right tools and measures are mutually supportive to Article 9 of the Treaty, including the farmers’ privilege. The farmers’ privilege was introduced in 2008 in the Federal Law on the Protection of New Varieties, which is under the lead of the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). The Federal Council has determined 23 plant species to which it applies. Farmers who make use of the farmers’ privilege do not have to pay any remuneration to the holder of the plant breeders’ rights. In parallel, the farmers’ privilege was also introduced in 2008 in the Federal Act of 25 June 1954 on Patents for Inventions, which is under the lead of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). Farmers who have acquired plant reproduction material placed on the market by the proprietor of the patent or with his consent may reproduce, on their own farm, the product from this material cultivated on their own farm. The farmers’ privileges have been developed based on UPOV ’91 and other relevant international IPR agreements but not on provisions of the ITPGRFA. Yet, they are mutually supportive to Article 9 of the ITPGRFA.

    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: Administrative; Legal