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

Please fix the following errors:

    Help on this page

    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.
     
     
     
     
     
    Clear search form
    Number of records: 235

    156) Community Seed Banks: enhancing local seed conservation

    The establishment of Community Seed Banks (CSB) has been undertaken by Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) in collaboration with research institutions, universities, government and non-government organizations through various projects aiming to empower communities and small-scale farmers in Southeast Asia since 1996. CSB’s are collections of seeds that are administered by the communities and play a significant role in ensuring seed security, conserving agricultural biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, and providing options for climate-change adaptation; they can also contribute to the realization of Farmers’ Rights. The main component of the practice was capacity development through Participatory Plant Breeding, Participatory Variety Selection and ecological management through experiential learning in Farmer Field Schools. In the Philippines, the CSB’s became a model of both climate resiliency and agrobiodiversity: mitigating drought through seed distribution to affected farmers in Bohol and enriching the local ‘Dinorado’ variety in North Cotabato. In Bhutan, there was a resurgence of local crop varieties and the inclusion of conservation of PGRFA in their national policies. The impact extends further in Thailand, enabling the revival of the local cultural festival ‘Bun Kao Mai’, a Buddhist celebration of bountiful harvest, excellent seeds and diversity in rice varieties.

    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

    157) Community Seed Banks

    In 2003, Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), in collaboration with the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and Bioversity International, started to establish Community Seed Banks (CSB) with the aim to: (1) promote on-farm conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA; (2) provide easy access to quality seeds and planting materials of diverse crop species and varieties; and (3) promote Farmers' Rights and food sovereignty. Core components include a well-functioning farmers' group/organization; trained human resources/members; properly maintained databases and records; good physical infrastructure; a self-financing mechanism; as well as linkages and collaboration with local and provincial government, national genebank and stakeholders. As a result of the initiative, more than 1000 local varieties of nearly 65 crop species have been conserved on farm by various CSB producing nearly 200 tons of good quality seeds of popular improved varieties and making them available locally to over ten thousand households annually. Key lessons learned include that CSB are not only physical structures nor technical matters, but a group operation requiring empowerment of individual farmers and groups operating the CSB. In addition, self-financing mechanisms are required to ensure sustainability.

    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

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

    The project "Improving seed systems for smallholder farmers’ food security", funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is implemented by Bioversity International in Bolivia, Uzbekistan, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Nepal with the objective of reducing vulnerability of smallholders by improving farmers’ access to diverse and adaptive crop varieties and quality seed and in local seed systems. The project started in 2013 and is now in its second phase (2017 – 2021). It focuses on enhancing capacity of smallholders and related institutions to produce seed of good quality in adequate quantities; developing seed marketing models to enhance value chains and improve seed delivery mechanisms; and improving quality of seed produced by engaging seed quality assurance organizations in the countries to develop alternative quality assurance mechanisms. More policy-related interventions around registration of farmers’ promising varieties and developing quality assurance mechanisms for farmer’s seed systems are also key aspects. Based on lessons learned the intervention strategy is guided by three principles: (1) the activities will primarily seek to ensure sustainability of the project’s interventions; (2) increased efforts will be made to inform and influence decision making processes; (3) actions will be adopted to ensure that possible gender differences are addressed.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    159) Plant Breeders’ Rights legislation in the EU implementing the Treaty and the UPOV 1991 Convention in a mutually supportive manner

    EU Regulation 2100/94 of 1994 sets out the EU plant variety protection system following the principles of the UPOV 1991 Convention. The objective is to provide a balanced IP framework for protecting plant varieties, which stimulates the creation of new varieties of plants for the benefit of farmers and the society at large. The core components of the system, which ensure the mutually supportive implementation of the Treaty and the UPOV Convention, are the scope of the right (article 13 of the EU Regulation) and the exceptions to the right (articles 14 and 15 of the EU Regulation). These exceptions ensure that farmers, especially smallholder farmers, can continue their practices of seed saving. One key outcome of the system is the number of varieties available for farmers on the EU market, adding up to around 40,000 varieties of agricultural and vegetable species, of which around 20,000 are protected; around 3,500 new varieties are released every year. All these varieties contribute to farmers’ choices; where the variety is not or no longer protected, farmers are free to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed of those varieties subject to national law.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Legal

    160) Food Forever Initiative

    In 2017, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust) launched the ‘Food Forever Initiative’ in cooperation with several ‘champions’ from public and private sector. The aim of the initiative is to rally the support necessary from all stakeholders, ranging from politicians, farmers, chefs, businesses, to individuals, to drive positive change in the way we conserve, grow, sell and consume crop and livestock diversity. Specific attention is given to the role of smallholder farmers and how their access to quality seeds and to markets can be improved. ‘Food Forever Champions’ have agreed to join as advocates for this important cause. They are experts and leaders from all walks of life who are driven to speak out about the importance of food diversity. Partners of the initiative contribute, with their work, to implementing SDG Target 2.5, which specifically addresses the need for maintaining genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through the implementation of related international agreements. Together, the Crop Trust and the Government of the Netherlands provide for the initiative’s secretariat functions. Financial support is provided by the Governments of Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

    Category: 3.Approaches to encourage income-generating activities to support farmers’ conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA

    Type of measure/practice: Technical