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: 233

    106) Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security (SD=HS) Program (I) – field work

    The Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security (SD=HS) program started in 2014 as a joint effort of the civil society organization Oxfam, acting as coordinator, and its partners, including NGOs, farmer organizations, public institutions and government agencies. The overall objective is to contribute to the realization of Farmers’ Rights and Sustainable Development Goal 2 by enhancing small-scale farmers’ and indigenous people’s capacities to access, develop and use PGRFA to improve food and nutrition security under conditions of climate change. Towards this end, SD=HS builds on expansion and institutionalization of the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach to strengthen the role and capacity of farmers in the management, research and conservation of PGRFA. Emphasis is also put on building partnerships with national breeding and research institutions, genebanks and extension services. Further activities include support to farmer-managed seed enterprises and enhancing nutritional knowledge and utilization of minor crops and under-utilized plant species. Between 2014 and 2018, SD=HS established over 1,050 self-sustaining FFS in five countries and reached approximately 150,000 households in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Lessons learned include the identification of five key conditions for scaling-up the FFS approach in any country. The second phase of the program started in 2019.

    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

    107) Crop contest at the Genetic Diversity Fair (G-Difa)

    The Genetic Diversity Fair (G-Difa) was first held in 2018, coinciding with the National Congress on Genetic Resources, which included a crop contest. Bananas were selected as the focus crop, since they are widespread throughout Indonesia. Every province through its Regional Commission on Genetic Resources proposed one or more local varieties of bananas originating from their region. A board of judges then evaluated and assessed banana fruits based on several criteria and decided on the winners. This activity aimed to promote crop diversity of local varieties in Indonesia. For the next event in 2020, a different crop will be selected. This event raises awareness on the importance of local genetic resources among the public and benefits the local farming community, since the region from where the crop originated can gain economic benefits from the use and promotion of genetic resources. Lessons learned include that recognition of local varieties can help promote and increase their economic value.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Administrative; Others

    108) Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security (SD=HS) Program (II) – policy work

    The Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security (SD=HS) program is a joint effort of the civil society organization Oxfam, acting as coordinator, and its partners, including NGOs, farmer organizations, public institutions and government agencies. Its objective is to ensure that indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers enjoy their rights and gain capacity to access, develop and use PGRFA to improve food and nutrition security under climate-change conditions. Core component of the SD=HS local-to-global policy work include policy and legal measures that support the implementation of Farmers’ Rights. One key finding is that Farmers’ Rights cannot be realized if the role of farmers’ seed systems is not fully understood and supported by (inter)national policies, legislations and mechanisms. For example, some national seed laws allow only certified seeds of registered varieties to be marketed or exchanged, which negatively affects farmers’ seed systems and ignores opportunities to leverage the skills and entrepreneurship of smallholder seed producers. Establish¬ing legal frameworks that suit the needs and capacities of farmers can enhance the production of quality seed of both modern and traditional varieties and provide a major pathway to increase crop diversity in farmers’ fields, to adapt to climate change and to contribute to several SDGs.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Others

    109) 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

    110) Traditional seed exchange

    Between 2001 and 2005, in the frame of in situ conservation project, the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation (INIA), together with several governmental and non-governmental organizations, studied traditional seed exchange mechanisms among farmers in the 11 administrative regions comprising 69 communities. The objectives were to identify, describe and document pathways and modalities of seed exchange carried out by farmers who cultivate native crops in these regions. Farmers exchange their seeds mainly during agricultural fairs, patron saint festivities and local markets, but many other seed routes also exist; the frequency of their exchange depends on the situation, for example during catastrophic events, such as droughts, floods or earthquakes. The modalities of exchange range from barter, inheritance, gift, purchase, payment for work, loan to exchange among family members. Through traditional seed exchange, farmers not only acquire seeds, but also knowledge and experiences and establish bonds of friendship between them, which allows them to expand their knowledge by sharing their experiences, e.g. with older farmers. Traditional seed exchange mechanisms are thus an important process for sustaining in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity; it is important to conserve these processes along with the agroecosystems where native crops thrive.

    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