Global Information System

Number of records: 233

141) Fair Planet

Fair Planet is a non-profit organization partnering with several private seed companies with a mission to develop a vital agriculture business economy in rural areas of Africa, increase food security and provide new economic opportunities to smallholder farmers in developing countries, through access to high-quality seed varieties and training for improved farming practices. Together with Haramaya University, Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, and in cooperation with private seed companies, they have developed a unique extension model since 2012. Core components include technology transfer and capacity development of local experts and trainers; local teams continue training the farmers to implement improved production practices. As a result, more than 16,000 smallholder farmers in the project regions have increased food production and received better nutrition due to better seeds and improved farming practices. In some cases, yields have increased dramatically: 4 times greater in tomato, and 8 times greater in hot pepper. The Fair Planet initiative helps develop a vital agriculture business economy in rural areas of Africa and provides interesting and profitable work for young people looking for better opportunities in their own country.

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

Type of measure/practice: Technical

142) Plant Variety Protection Act, 2019

The Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with relevant government organizations and public research institutes, has engaged in a process to develop an act providing protection of the rights of plant breeders and farmers with regard to plant varieties. This process resulted in the adoption of the Plant Variety Protection Act, 2019. This act sets rules for the establishment of a Plant Variety Protection Authority as well as for the registration of varieties, protection of breeders’ and Farmers’ Rights and other related matters. It recognizes innovative farmers as ‘plant breeders’; farmers are now entitled to submit applications for registration of varieties they have developed or maintained. They will be rewarded for maintaining landraces and developing new plant varieties. A certificate, a medal and some money will be paid to farmers as a recognition of their contribution to crop improvement. They will also participate in decision-making on the management of landraces. The act has passed the legislative procedure only recently; it is expected that the production of a wide variety of crops will continue to increase.

Category: 10.Legal measures for the implementation of Farmers’ Rights, such as legislative measures related to PGRFA.

Type of measure/practice: Legal

143) ‘SNP Semences Normes et Paysans’, a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and consultation between government, agricultural civil society and research too promote recognition of farmers’ seed systems

In Mali, the SNP Semences Normes et Paysans (Stakeholder Platform for Standard and Peasant Seeds) was established in 2017. It is chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and its members are representatives of the National Assembly, of the Ministry of Agriculture and its technical services, farmer organizations working on peasant seeds, universities and research institutions, as well as supporting NGOs. The platform provides a space for political dialogue between the Malian government and Civil Society Organizations, particularly farmer organizations; its mandate is to promote the recognition of farmers’ seed systems and Farmers' Rights in Mali. The group provided an analysis of the existing legal framework governing seeds, identifying strengths and weaknesses in terms of the implementation of Farmers' Rights. On the basis of this shared diagnosis, the members of the SNP platform were able to develop proposals on how to fill existing gaps, which resulted, inter alia, in a common proposal for a chapter on farmers’ seed systems to be included in the national seed policy, which is currently under review. This example shows that a political dialogue with the real and full participation of farmer organizations can lead to a shared understanding of the issues and to proposals for realizing Farmers' Rights.

Category: 8.Farmers’ participation in decision-making at local, national and sub-regional, regional and international levels

Type of measure/practice: Others

144) 1000 seed self-reliant villages

In 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture launched Regulation 207.1/HK.140/C/02/2016 on Technical Guidelines for the Development of Seed Self-Reliance in Villages. The program is implemented by the Indonesian Agency for Agriculture Research and Development (IAARD). It gives special attention to villages that are isolated or located in marginal areas and thus have problems accessing quality seeds from external sources. The objective is to guarantee farmers’ access to good quality seeds, and for farmers to achieve seed self-sufficiency at village level by enhancing farmers’ capacities to produce and sell seeds to other farmers. The program is being implemented in all provinces of Indonesia; it has motivated farmers to breed and produce seeds. Mainly of local and farmer-bred varieties of rice, maize and soybean. To date, 1313 villages have participated in this program, with around 1000 farm households being reached in every village. Thus, an estimate of more than one million farm households has benefited in this program since 2016. Fully supported by government funds, achievements were quantitatively high. However, progress can be made as regards project sustainability, especially by strengthening links with breeding activities carried out by government research institutions and universities.

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

145) Implementing sui generis plant variety protection systems that recognize farmers’ seed systems, farmers’ varieties and advances Farmers’ Rights

WTO Members have complete freedom to develop sui generis plant variety protection (PVP) systems that recognize and support farmer managed seed systems and implement Farmers’ Rights. Hence several countries, including India and Malaysia have opted to depart significantly from the one-size fits all model of UPOV 1991 and adopted effective, innovative national PVP legislation, implemented through the PVP authority of each country, that includes unique features to balance the interests of commercial breeders, farmers and the public, as well as advances the key requirements of the ITPGRFA, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol. India’s ‘Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act’ (2001) grants PVP protection while recognizing rights of farmers to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell their farm produce, including seed of a protected variety. Many other measures in the legislation that protect farmers’ interests and needs. Malaysia’s ‘Protection of New Varieties of Plants Act’ (2004) includes provisions that recognize farmers’ seed systems with distinct criteria for registration of farmer variety: "new, distinct and identifiable". Both legislations include disclosure obligation, i.e. a PVP applicant to declare the source of the genetic material and present evidence of prior informed consent and benefit sharing.