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

    166) Access to seed through a network of community seed banks in la Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Guatemala

    This good practice started in 1999 in Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, with active participation of the Asociación de Organizaciones de los Cuchumatanes (ASOCUCH), technical support by Fundación para la Innovación Tecnológica (FUNDIT) and Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Agrícola (ICTA) and financial support by the Norwegian Development Fund (Utviklingsfondet). The main objective was to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmer families and indigenous communities through the sustainable use of native agrobiodiversity, including for adaptation to climate change. Core components include: (1) Community Seed Banks under local governance; (2) seed and agrobiodiversity fairs; (3) participatory evaluation of maize accessions from the CIMMYT genebank; and (4) production of good quality seeds of local varieties. Key results include the successful establishment of a network of community seed banks; the identification of local and rare varieties of maize and beans with traits relevant to climate-change adaptation; the production of high-quality seeds of preferred varieties; as well as ongoing training of local actors on issues related to seed and agrobiodiversity.

    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

    167) Participatory research to facilitate collaboration of farmers, exporters and central market agents in developing fruit and vegetable value chains in the Jordan valley

    The National Agricultural Research Center of Jordan implemented this measure in 2018 to improve the economic status of farmers in the Jordan valley and enable their participation in identifying the best methods and approaches to achieve sustainable development towards improving their living conditions and livelihoods. Core components included a participatory approach of choosing tropical and subtropical orchard tree varieties to be planted in the northern and mid-Jordan valley, where subtropical conditions prevail. This activity involved 24 farmers, 3 of whom were women. Theoretical training of tropical tree cultivation was provided, following a participatory study on fruit and vegetable value chains in the Jordan valley. This collaborative work addressed the issues faced by farmers and was attended by representatives of the Central Vegetables Market and the Association of Jordan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters. Key lessons learned include that farmers can mitigate climate change using adapted cultivation techniques and by utilizing resources economically to create productive enterprises.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical

    168) Implementation of Farmers’ Rights in the Italian legislation

    In 2018, Centro Internazionale Crocevia, a non-governmental organization, in collaboration with the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), conducted a policy analysis on the implementation of Farmers’ Rights in the Italian legislation. The objective was to analyse the implementation status of Article 9.3 of the ITPGRFA at national and regional level in Italy. Regional, national and European laws that regulate the ways how farmers save, use, exchange and sell seeds were considered. Gaps and differences exist in this regard between European, national and regional law; they tend to follow different rationales and objectives. In order to fully implement Farmers Rights as set out in the International Treaty, the Italian national and regional laws should be harmonized, so that the entire legislative framework is supportive to the relevant provisions of the Treaty. Lessons learned include that how ‘formal’ seed systems are currently regulated addresses the requirements of commercial agriculture; the same regulatory framework cannot be simply applied to ‘informal’ seed systems supporting peasant agriculture, unless there is a clear aim to absorb it (i.e. based on modernization policies).

    Category: 11.Other measures / practices

    Type of measure/practice: Others

    169) Karnataka State Farmers' Association (KRRS) seed festival and seed banks

    Since the year 2000, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), a farmer movement working with peasant farmers, pastoralists and breeders, has organized seed festivals on an annual basis to facilitate farmer-to-farmer seed and knowledge exchange and seed sales, along with sessions for sharing information and experiences, e.g. on seed laws. The objective is to improve the exchange and sale of seeds from farmers to farmers and to protect the farmers’ seeds systems as a way to implement Article 9 of the ITPGRFA. The organization further maintains seedbanks, through which farmers can access seed of local varieties, as well as processing units for products made from peasant seeds, such as fabric made from local (‘indigenous’) cotton varieties. KRRS further provides information to farmers and the general public on Indian laws relating to Farmers’ Rights, including seed legislation, plant variety protection, patents and regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMO).

    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

    170) Making improved wheat varieties available to farmers and facilitate learning via Farmer Field Schools

    The National Agricultural Research Center of Jordan, together with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), implemented an applied research project from 2011 to 2015 to increase wheat production, enhance farmers’ income and contribute to food security. The project took an integrated approach, which included large-scale distribution and testing of high-yielding wheat varieties, farmer-based seed production to make seeds of preferred varieties available to farmers, as well as promotion of integrated agricultural practices and conservation agriculture systems for sustainable wheat production and increased profitability. The project established Farmer Field Schools to enhance farmers’ learning and awareness. It facilitated adoption of the ‘full package’ of innovative practices. More than 600 tons of seed was produced, of which the majority was used for subsequent sowing due to proven adaptability and good quality of the seed. Conservation agriculture systems were consistently more productive than conventional agriculture due to improved soil moisture conservation. Altogether, the proposed measure/practice of conducting applied integrated research in combination with Farmer Field Schools increased yields, farmers’ income and status and contributed to more varietal diversity in farmers’ fields.

    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