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

    21) Supporting farmer seed systems and promoting farmers’ rights and the sustainability of seed in emergency situations

    Eighty per cent of the seed requirements of the smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique are sourced from the farmer seed systems. The local seeds or farmers varieties, adapted to local conditions play a significant role in meeting their food and nutrition, cultural and livelihood needs. With Cyclones Idai and Kenneth impacting Southern Africa in March and April of 2019, affected over 3.8 million people and destroyed nearly 800 000 ha of standing crops in these countries. Farmers lost their local seed reserves and crops that were ready for harvest. In response, with funding support from the government of Germany, FAO-ITPGRFA is working with governments, national genebanks and farmers to rebuild seed systems through a project called "Foundations for rebuilding seed systems post Cyclone Idai: Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi". The project started in September 2019 and will end in May 2021, aims at supporting national genebanks to undertake studies to understand what has been lost in cyclone-affected communities in the way of seed reserves and seed diversity, as well as identify what types of crops (including endangered species) small-scale farmers would like to continue to grow, eat and sell. The project also aims to increase knowledge and skills in the restoration of local community-based farmer seed systems and build the capacity of national partners for policy engagement at the national and regional level.

    Category: 11.Other measures / practices

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative; Others

    22) Strengthening the local seed systems of Meghalaya and Nagaland (North-East India) through crop festivals, farmers seed exchanges and community seed banks

    Established in 2012, the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), is a platform that connects people to the pleasure and importance of local food. NESFAS embraced the framework of agroecology in promoting local foods that are responsibly produced, protect the environment and enhances human health and wellbeing. Since 2018, NESFAS is implementing the project, "No one shall be left behind Initiative- Biodiversity for Food, Nutrition and Livelihood Security" in partnership with the indigenous communities of Meghalaya and Nagaland, to preserve and promote the indigenous food systems of the region. Seeds have been the basis of the food chain and food security. As part of their advocacy to protect traditional crops and local seeds, NESFAS and its partner NGOs support communities to strengthen their local seed system through e.g. seed festivals, seed exchanges and community seed banks. The main objective is to create awareness on the importance of local crops and their seeds, recuperate seed varieties that are lost, promote in-situ and on-farm conservation of PGRFA, raise awareness on the importance of local seeds, traditional knowledge and seed sovereignty. The core interventions include participatory crop diversity mapping, displaying indigenous seed varieties, informative sessions, farmer-to-farmer exchange of knowledge and seeds, and facilitating the creation of farmer seed networks. Seed fairs and seed festivals have served as an important vehicle that acknowledges farmers' effort and traditional knowledge for the conservation of PGRFA.

    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

    23) Presidential Decree protecting the Centre of Origin and Diversity

    Mexico is the centre of origin and diversity for maize and the world’s largest, most diverse, and oldest living genetic resource for corn. Nearly sixty landraces grow in Mexico. For centuries, farmers have maintained this biodiversity on milpas, small plots cultivated with corn, beans, and squash varieties. In 2009, changes to Mexico’s biosafety law allowed biotech crop developers for the first time to experiment with genetically modified organism (GMO) corn trials in approved regions of Mexico. Since then, dozens of pilot permits have tested GMO corn strains for their tolerance to herbicides and resistance to insects and drought. Over the years, there have been concerns raised about the impact of genetically modified maize on local varieties. On January 1st of 2021, a Presidential Decree in Mexico went into effect to phase out the ‘use, acquisition, distribution, promotion, and import" of glyphosate. The Decree establishes a transition period until January 2024 to replace glyphosate with sustainable, culturally appropriate alternatives to "safeguard human health, biocultural diversity, and the environment. The Decree also obliges biosafety authorities to "revoke and refrain" from granting permits for the release into the environment of genetically modified maize seeds to protect food security and food sovereignty, native corn, traditional cornfields and the country’s biocultural wealth.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Administrative; Others

    24) Recognizing Farmer’s Rights to freely save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed/propagating material of patented plants and plant material

    Since patent laws do not normally allow the use of a patented plant, plant part or DNA sequence for the development of a new variety, the growing number of patents on plants across the world will decrease the gene pool from which farmers and breeders can source freely the seeds and breeding materials they want. In addition, patents may inhibit farmers’ traditional farming practices of using, exchanging and selling farm-saved seed that contains patented material. Despite the fact that the WTO TRIPS Agreement allows countries to exclude plants (and animals) from patentability (Article 27.3.b), developed countries and 60% of all emerging economies and developing countries allow for the patenting of plants or parts thereof. This submission briefly discusses 1) how countries can exclude patent protection for plants, including plant varieties, biological materials, and essentially biological processes for the production of plants. In case countries do allow patents on plants, this submission discusses 2) how countries can limit the scope of patents relating to plants and 3) possible exceptions to the exclusive rights normally granted by a patent.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Legal

    25) Venezuelan Seed Law No. 6.207 of 2015

    On December 23, 2015, the Venezuelan Congress passed a new Legislation on Seeds, (Venezuelan Seed Law No. 6.207) repealing the previous regulation from 2002, which also regulated the material for animal reproduction and biological supply. The Seed Law includes provisions that ban genetically modified seeds and the patenting of life forms. recognition of both formal and informal seed systems, and protection for the seeds of the country’s peasant, indigenous, and Afro-descendant communities. The National Seed Commission was then created with a mandate to monitor the implementation of the law and draft a National Seed Plan. The commission comprises four representatives of the competent Ministry, as well as three representatives of social movements, peasants, afro-descendant and indigenous peoples. Additionally, a Popular Council for the Protection of the Local, Peasant, Afro-descendant and Indigenous Peoples’ seeds was formed. The Council’s role is to promote peasant seeds systems, including the conservation, use and exchange of seeds, local seed banks, community seed production enterprises, collaborative breeding and participative certification mechanisms; as well as to participate in policy-making and provide inputs to the National Seed Commission. All local, peasant, afro-descendant and indigenous peoples’ seeds, as well as seeds developed with state’ resources, are declared as free seeds that can be improved, produced, exchanged and freely marketed all over the national territory. These seeds are to be accessed under "licenses for the free use". Also promotes a formal seed system.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Administrative; Legal