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

    181) Morphological characterization of native crop varieties using farmers’ descriptors

    In 2001, in the frame of in situ conservation project, the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), together with several governmental and non-governmental organizations, conducted documentation of the morphological characteristics of native varieties of maize and potatoes using ‘peasant descriptors’. The objective was to make an inventory of the most important crops grown by farmers, using their own descriptors and language, in order to understand the diversity and variability of the native crops and varieties. Technicians and experts interacted with farmers and visited their fields were visited at different growth stages. Descriptors used by farmers ae related to leaves, stems, flowers, tubers, grains, and fruits; and they were based on places, people, colours, animals, and shapes. As a key result, morphological characteristics of different varieties of maize and potato crops according to farmers’ descriptions or terminologies, are elaborated and documented. During documentation, it revealed that women farmers are the knowledge holders, or play an important role in cultivating crops, since they ae experts in describing the diversity of native varieties they grew in their fields.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative

    182) Strengthening local farmers’ seed systems through Community Seed Banks in Malawi

    Biodiversity Conservation Initiative (BCI), a civil society organization in Malawi, partnered with the Development Fund of Norway (DF) to implement a Community-Based Agrobiodiversity Management project (2013-2016), which was extended for the period 2017-2020. DF provides the funding, while BCI directly implements the project targeting 2500 smallholder farmers. The major objective is to increase adaptive capacity to climate change among smallholder farmers in Malawi through strengthening local seed systems with community seed banks as a major focus. Core components of the work include: (1) multiplication of locally adapted seed varieties such as finger millet, groundnuts, beans, green gram, sesame, sorghum, pearl millet and bambara nut; (2) maize varieties participatory variety selection; (3) community seed banking on a loan basis for enhanced farmer access of the materials and loan schemes for sustainability; (4) capacity development programs on quality seed production and enhanced crop production practices; and (5) seed policies, including Farmers’ Rights. Notable achievements of the work include the sustainable management of four Community Seed Banks in Rumphi district. Lessons learned include that capacity development of farmers in key areas, such as seed multiplication, collection and storage, appropriate storage facilities and economic incentives are important to effectively conserve crop genetic resources on-farm.

    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

    183) Networking for growing crop diversity

    NordGen, established 1979, is the joint Nordic genebank for ex situ collections (seeds) of agricultural and horticultural crops. Throughout the years, individual researchers and farmers have requested and obtained seed samples from NordGen for further multiplication and cultivation. Focus has primarily been on heritage or redundant cultivars. Selection of superior plants within evaluated landraces and/or locally grown cultivars has taken place. Activities include both seed production for maintaining expertise and methodology in the field, as well as growing (niche) products for consumers (flour, flakes, whole or crushed grain). The networks provide their own need of seed. Seed is shared within the networks, as existing legislation restricts putting seed on the market.

    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: Administrative; Legal

    184) Conservation, management and use of agricultural biodiversity in Biosphere Reserves

    The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (CITMA), together with other public organizations and the Instituto de Investigaciones Fundamentales en Agricultura Tropical ‘Alejandro de Humboldt' (INIFAT), developed projects for in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity in the Cuban Biosphere Reserves. This work started in 1995 in the Biosphere Reserves ‘Sierra del Rosario’ and ‘Cuchillas del Toa’. Main objectives were to highlight the importance of agrobiodiversity and the knowledge associated with PGRFA conserved, managed and used by farmers in these areas. The first projects showed that the diversity of species was high; and that its use was important for the sustainability of farms. However, there was no opportunity yet to deepen such insights, for example in terms of assessing intraspecific diversity and underlying management processes, especially production and mobility of seed through informal systems; it was also not known which factors (environmental, social and economic) influence conservation activities of farmers. These questions served as starting points for further projects, like those currently being funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The results of these projects have led to the integration of agrobiodiversity monitoring into the management plans of the Biosphere Reserves of Cuba for the period 2014-2020.

    Category: 5.In-situ/on farm conservation and management of PGRFA, such as social and cultural measures, community biodiversity management and conservation sites

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative

    185) Improving small scale farmers’ especially women access to quality seeds through using the community managed seed security model

    The project was implemented in April 2016 and targeted small scale farmers especially women in Gulu district with ten farmer groups with a membership of about 3250 farmers in 4 sub-counties. The project objectives were to: (1) provide a practical, harmonized and systematic approach for promoting community-led seed security among small scale farming communities, (2) generate experiences for strengthening the informal seed sector that can provide good quality seed of required characteristic for small scale farmers in Uganda, and (3) provide for an alternative source of income for the small scale farmers through the sale of surplus good quality declared seeds. The community seed security model looked at a practical, harmonised and systematic approach for promoting community-led seed security for small scale farmers as well as consolidating the technical capacity of small-scale farmers in reproduction saving and distributing good quality seed for improved food security. Key outcomes include the following: strengthened solidarity around protection and promotion of farmer-managed seed systems in the region; increased household seed security, increased farmers’ incomes as the sale of seeds have provided an alternative source of income for the small-scale farmers and increased political support for farmer-managed seed systems.

    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; Others