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

    126) International Maize Improvement Consortium – Asia (IMIC-Asia)

    In 2010, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), in collaboration with seed companies, launched the International Maize Improvement Consortium – Asia (IMIC-Asia), a consortium of organizations engaged in maize research, breeding, hybrid production, seed sales and marketing in South and Southeast Asia. Objectives included (1) developing and testing inbred and hybrid maize with abiotic and biotic stress tolerance and high yield potential based on needs and priorities identified by consortium members; (2) improving maize productivity and livelihoods of farmers in rain-fed farming areas that have not yet benefited from improved and adapted seeds; and (3) developing capacities of breeders and technical personnel of consortium members in modern maize breeding and breeding informatics. Core component is the establishment of a consortium of small- and medium-size enterprises and research organizations in which all partners contribute to building capacities and technical expertise in maize breeding. Together, they established a strong collaborative testing network for identifying promising pre-release products for further evaluation at the national or state level as a part of the varietal release process. CIMMYT hybrid combinations are in the process of being allocated to interested members for commercialization and deployment to farmers.

    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

    127) Collaborative research to assess germplasm for climate-change adaptation and food security in mountain areas of Albania

    The Agricultural University of Tirana, through its Institute of Plant Genetic Resources and the Department of Crop Sciences and in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2015 started an initiative to characterize and evaluate Albanian germplasm and to promote the sharing of benefits arising from the use of these resources. Core components of the collaborative research include: (1) identification of germplasm accessions from ex situ collections; (2) characterization and evaluation of stored and newly collected accessions; (3) identification of accessions of local crops resistant to climate change, pests and diseases; and (4) multiplication of identified accessions and the distribution of planting material to farmers. Results of this collaboration had improved the capacities of low-income farmers in mountain areas and staff of national institutions to better adapt to climate change; promoted conservation and utilization of locally adapted crop varieties; local seed systems were strengthened through on-farm conservation of PGRFA; and enhanced food security of poor farmers living in the mountain areas.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    128) 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

    129) Putting farmers and Indigenous Peoples’ access to crop diversity at centre in seed policy and practice

    The measure is a game changing solution presented to the UN Food System Summit 2021 calling for a fundamental re-think of how seed system development is supported globally. Our proposal is to ensure and promote – through legislation, seed policies and action – that farmers have access to a diversity of well adapted varieties of crops that meet agroecological, nutritional and cultural needs and preferences. Farmers’ seed systems are key to provide farmers with access to both local varieties developed over millennia of farmer selection and varieties developed with modern plant breeding. We call for a bottom-up demand-driven approach to seed security to complement the currently dominant top-down supply-side approach, thereby supporting farmers’ agency and recognizing farmers’ seed systems contribution to global food security.

    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

    130) Participatory plant breeding to develop and release millet varieties for rain-fed areas of Sudan

    Participatory plant breeding trials were conducted between 2010 and 2012 under the supervision of plant breeders of three agricultural research stations in traditional rain-fed areas of Kordofan and Darfur States of Sudan, with the aim to develop and release improved millet varieties for these areas. The trial consisted of two varieties co-developed by a farmer called Wad el-Bashir based on his local varieties of millet in collaboration with a plant breeder from Elobied research station, and a released variety called ‘Ashana’. The resulting varieties were registered under the name of the farmer Wad el-Bashir as type of non-monetary benefit-sharing. The registration of local farmer-developed varieties has enabled the commercial production and marketing of these varieties and allowed to produce and distribute seed on a legal basis. These achievements have led to an increase of the cultivation area of millet, which has resulted in a significant improvement in food security nationally.

    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