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: 235

    186) 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

    187) 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

    188) 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

    189) 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

    190) 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