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

    146) Promotion of Farmers’ Rights through awareness raising and capacity building materials

    Since 2015, the Development Fund together with its partner, Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy (CEPA), have been involved in promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights and ensuring that the Government of Malawi’s policies support agrobiodiversity conservation and management. The main objective is to increase awareness of and contribute to the realization of Farmers’ Rights through publication and dissemination of capacity building materials for the realization of Farmer’s Rights in Malawi. The publication aims to provide tools to inform and create awareness amongst farming communities, relevant stakeholders and decision-makers; and to provide relevant information that can guide them in the development of protocols, community instruments, policies, legal and administrative measures ensuring the recognition and implementation of Farmers’ Rights. The partners have influenced the development of the new seed policy and legislation for Malawi to ensure that they support farmer seed systems that are critical for the realization of Farmers’ Rights. A central lesson learned is the importance of involving community members in the development of capacity building material as they contribute with reality checks on the local context.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    147) Recognition of farmers’ varieties/landraces and voluntary registration

    The Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development (distinct from the Ministry of Agriculture), in cooperation with farmer associations, NGOs and others, developed Seed Law #10711 of 2003, recognizing farmer varieties/landraces and offering opportunities for voluntary registration. The objectives are to recognize smallholder family farmers’ varieties/landraces and to facilitate public support to their conservation, maintenance, enhancement, production, use and dissemination through government programmes. Article 48 of the Law forbids restrictions on the inclusion of local, traditional and Creole varieties in publicly funded programmes for family farmers. Ministerial Directive 51/2007 provides criteria for the voluntary registration of these varieties. Legal recognition has made possible government (financial) support for various projects and initiatives undertaken by NGOs and farmers and contributed to integrating farmer varieties/ landraces into national food and nutrition security programmes. Key conditions for success are farmers’ and civil society organizations’ engagement, mobilization and practical work on farmer varieties and seed and exemptions for farmers’ seed from laws and regulations addressing commercial varieties; furthermore, linking conservation and use of farmer varieties to public procurement programmes can provide incentives to sustain such initiatives.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Administrative; Legal

    148) ‘SNP Semences Normes et Paysans’, a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and consultation between government, agricultural civil society and research too promote recognition of farmers’ seed systems

    In Mali, the SNP Semences Normes et Paysans (Stakeholder Platform for Standard and Peasant Seeds) was established in 2017. It is chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and its members are representatives of the National Assembly, of the Ministry of Agriculture and its technical services, farmer organizations working on peasant seeds, universities and research institutions, as well as supporting NGOs. The platform provides a space for political dialogue between the Malian government and Civil Society Organizations, particularly farmer organizations; its mandate is to promote the recognition of farmers’ seed systems and Farmers' Rights in Mali. The group provided an analysis of the existing legal framework governing seeds, identifying strengths and weaknesses in terms of the implementation of Farmers' Rights. On the basis of this shared diagnosis, the members of the SNP platform were able to develop proposals on how to fill existing gaps, which resulted, inter alia, in a common proposal for a chapter on farmers’ seed systems to be included in the national seed policy, which is currently under review. This example shows that a political dialogue with the real and full participation of farmer organizations can lead to a shared understanding of the issues and to proposals for realizing Farmers' Rights.

    Category: 8.Farmers’ participation in decision-making at local, national and sub-regional, regional and international levels

    Type of measure/practice: Others

    149) Public procurement of farmers’ seed varieties for food programmes

    Articulação do Semi-árido (ASA) Brasileiro worked with Paraiba State government to recognize farmer’s seed, strengthen seed production and facilitate distribution at state level. Later, these activities were connected to national programmes on agroecology, family farming and food and nutrition security. The objectives were to conserve biodiversity; to encourage production and exchange of seeds of local varieties; and to promote food security and sustainable farming practices. In 2002, a state law was passed in Paraiba to allow direct transfer from the government to farmers; in 2005, the procurement of farmer varieties for distribution through the national Food Acquisition Programme (PAA) was initiated, which was later extended to national level. Procurement through the PAA included a pillar on seed purchase; in addition, seed production, quality control and seed fairs were supported by government agencies, including the public sector agricultural research agency Embrapa. The integration of traditional food crops and farmer varieties into public procurement programmes has helped to strengthen and diversify production of family farms and resulted in healthier diets. In 2011, the PAA was being implemented in about 40% of municipalities in Brazil, reaching 25,000 government and non-government organizations, with 15 million people benefiting from food distribution through the programme annually.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical; Administrative; Legal

    150) Exemptions or flexibilities in seed registration for farmers’ varieties

    In Brazil, Peru and Nepal, responsible ministries and authorities, along with partnering NGOs and/or research organizations, developed policies, laws and regulations to facilitate registration of farmer varieties. Objectives of these initiatives were to provide options for the registration of farmer varieties that are easy, low cost and appropriate to the character of these varieties; to document farmers’ varieties and knowledge; to protect them from biopiracy; and to facilitate their dissemination at larger scale. In Brazil, a seed law offering voluntary registration of farmer varieties under specific criteria was passed in 2003. In Peru, a law listing native crops for protection was passed in 2005; furthermore, a national register was established. In Nepal, the Agricultural Biodiversity Policy of 2007 (amended in 2014) identified participatory plant breeding (PPB) as a strategy to enhance local varieties; criteria for the registration of such varieties in the national registration system were adapted in 2005. In Brazil, efforts to promote farmer varieties, combined with a wider agroecology approach, family farmer and food security programmes, resulted in enhanced food security nationally by 2013. In Nepal, PPB varieties have been successfully registered and sold; in Peru, farmer varieties have been maintained and used.

    Category: 11.Other measures / practices

    Type of measure/practice: Others