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

    186) Harnessing dryland legume and cereals genetic resource for food and nutrition security and resilient farming systems in Malawi and Zambia

    In 2019, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), together with the Department of Agricultural Services (DARS) in Malawi, the Zambia Agricultural Research Institution (ZARI) and farmer associations in both countries, and with financial support by the Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty, have started a project aiming to enhance food and nutrition security and resilient farming systems through use of grain legumes and cereal genetic resources. Core components include (1) capacity development of smallholder farmers to use local and improved varieties to achieve food and nutrition security to underpin resilience in the face of climate variability; and (2) evaluation of wide germplasm across the region capitalizing on the material from ICRISAT genebanks followed by participatory selection and breeding efforts. These activities will be supported by outreach activities such as trainings, demonstration trials, field days etc., giving farmer organizations a key role. The project follows a gender-sensitive approach by ensuring female participation in livelihood-strengthening activities, such as training on climate-smart agriculture approaches, appointing women to leadership positions in farmer organizations involved in technology development and testing, and by targeting women for training on income-generating activities and business development, including seed production.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    187) Farmer-breeder groups

    The Association of Indonesian Seed Banks and Farmers’ Agricultural Technology (AB2TI) was established in 2012. The main purpose was to enhance the knowledge and capacities of farmers in plant breeding, e.g. crossing and selection, and to make them more independent in seed production. To date, farmer-breeder groups have developed 3600 varieties of crossed rice, mostly based on local germplasm. The association supports these activities by organizing trainings and supporting networking among members. Members of the association also sell the seed they produce to fellow members and farmers in the surrounding communities. Through these activities, farmers become aware of the importance of conserving local germplasm, and at the same time, has increased their economic opportunities.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    188) East-West Seed’s best practices on the implementation of Article 9 (Farmers’ Rights) of the ITPGRFA

    East-West Seed is a private seed company focusing on vegetable seed production for tropical conditions. It has developed several ‘good practices’ for the implementation of Article 9 of the International Treaty. For example, the company maintains strong ties with national genebanks; a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2018 between East- West Seed Co. Inc.-Philippines (EWPH) and the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (NPGRL) to collaborate on crop germplasm conservation, research and training. EWPH will assist NPGRL in reviving, regenerating and characterizing its old germplasm collection and to provide trainings relating to germplasm conservation. EWPH also maintains a pool of smallholder farmers known as Product Development Support (PDS) farmers, who conduct on-farm trials of newly bred vegetable varieties. These PDS farmers take an active role in deciding which newly bred vegetable varieties will be introduced in the market. Since 2000, EWPH has further engaged in extension and knowledge transfer activities in the Philippines and other countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, India and Tanzania) by organizing farmer field schools, setting up demonstration farms, conducting field days and harvest festivals to promote profitable and sustainable production practices.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    189) Germplasm collection in ‘gap areas’ of the West and Central African region

    In 2013, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), together with national agricultural research organizations of the respective countries, initiated a project aiming to fill gaps in the ICRISAT genebank collections and enhancing utilization of germplasm for food and agriculture. Core components were collection missions targeting pearl millet, sorghum and groundnut. In addition to these crops, national partners collected also other crops that are not part of ICRISAT’s mandate crops, such as cowpea, okra, sesame, Bambara groundnut, maize, etc. Trainings were offered to participating staff on collection and conservation techniques; these trainings also addressed Farmers Rights and traditional knowledge. Key outcomes include the collection of 5,057 germplasm accessions; seed samples were distributed across African, USA and European countries, including to researchers, breeders, farmers organizations, agro-dealers, processors and students. Key lessons learned include the awareness of the need for communication with and consent from local communities; building trust with local partners: and getting the necessary agreement from local authorities.

    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

    190) Building on community traditional knowledge and practices for food security

    Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) implemented ‘Putting Lessons into Practice: Scaling up Peoples’ Biodiversity Management for Food Security’ (2012-2015), in collaboration with partners from government, non-government and research institutions. Objectives were to develop adaptation strategies for food security by bridging traditional knowledge and science; to influence policies on food and agriculture from local to international level toward realizing the right to food of indigenous and smallholder farmers; and to strengthen their adaptive capacities in plant genetic resources conservation, including access to and sustainable use of PGRFA, by scaling up successful and/or innovative models. Components include capacity-building through collaborative strategies, e.g. Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) and community seed management, and policy support by providing a venue for farmers to articulate their concerns and issues to government leaders. The Farmer Field School approach was used as a learning and empowering methodology, while the system of rice intensification and PPB were introduced as climate-change mitigation measures. The initiative targeted 75,000 low-income farming households from several regions of Vietnam. Farm productivity and yield increased by 10%, while periods of food scarcity were reduced from a maximum of 17 weeks to a maximum of 7 weeks across all regions by its conclusion.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical