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

    221) Annual support to the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF)

    Norway launched its annual contribution to the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) during the official opening ceremony of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008 to stress the importance of on-farm conservation of PGRFA, complementing ex situ conservation efforts, and to ensure financial support based on a predictable contribution to the BSF from a user country. At the same time, this annual contribution is done in recognition of the benefit of Norwegian agriculture of plant genetic resources that originate from other areas of the globe. To illustrate this argument, this voluntary contribution is related to the seed trade and equals 0.1% of annual seed sales in Norway. It is referred to in the State Budget, endorsed by the parliament. Norway considers it to be a use-based, voluntary monetary benefit sharing. In addition, the annual contributions give an opportunity to bring the issue regularly to the attention of the political leadership of the ministry.

    Category: 2.Financial contributions to support farmers conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA such as contributions to benefit-sharing funds

    Type of measure/practice: Others

    222) Norwegian Seed Savers (KVANN)

    The Norwegian Seed Savers (KVANN) is an independent non-profit member organization established in 2016, into which several former ‘plant clubs’, originally initiated by the Norwegian Centre for Genetic Resources, were integrated. KVANN has a cooperation agreement with the Centre and receives annual grants from the Norwegian Agriculture Agency. The overall objective is to promote sustainable use of plant diversity for private use in Norway and to enhance public awareness and knowledge about plant breeding, conservation and sustainable use of domestic crops and plants. Main activities include distribution of seed and plant catalogues through which members can exchange breeding material among themselves. These catalogues also include plant genetic resources held by the Nordic Genebank (NordGen) and research stations of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) system. KVANN also puts emphasis on raising knowledge and awareness about the need to protect traditional plant varieties and seeds, and organizes regular training courses and seminars on seeds, plant diseases, fruit grafting, potato seedlings etc. In addition, the association currently has the national responsibility to manage the distribution of potato seedlings to hobby growers in Norway. It engages with museum gardens and other public and private gardens for demonstration and awareness creation purposes.

    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

    223) Farmers' access to genebank material

    Facilitating access to germplasm under the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty could be considered as a contribution to benefit-sharing. The Nordic Genetic Resource Centre (NordGen) is the genebank maintaining germplasm of Nordic origin as well as material relevant for the Nordic region. The seed material stored at NordGen is available upon request for plant breeders, plant researchers, museums and other bona fide users. Germplasm managed by Nordgen is available in small quantities for research, breeding, conservation or similar purposes. While NordGen mainly serves the scientific community; it also honours reasonable requests from individuals, such as farmers and gardeners, provided that the requester has a serious interest in seed saving and maintaining old or rare varieties. To facilitate access for these individuals, NordGen has developed a simplified material transfer agreement, called ‘Hobby Material Transfer Agreement’; a small administrative fee was introduced to manage the rising number of requests.

    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

    224) Norwegian Community Seed Bank

    The Norwegian Community Seed Bank is a joint initiative of the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre, the Royal Norwegian Society, private sector partners and associations. The objective is to promote the use of traditional varieties, including orphan crops, where it is economically viable to do so, and to facilitate efforts that these varieties once more can become commercially interesting. After consulting with various partners, the Norwegian Community Seed Bank was founded in 2018. It is owned by a newly established cooperative with funding provided by the Norwegian Agriculture Agency and technical support by the Norwegian Extension Service. The Norwegian Community Seed Bank institutionalizes the previous on-farm conservation work done by individual farmers and gardeners, thus reducing the dependence on idealistic individuals, particularly since some of the most knowledgeable and active farmers are approaching the age of retirement. It can further help to enhance restoration, regeneration and reintroduction of traditional varieties stored in collections, e.g. of universities, to create awareness among farmers and to increase their interest in engaging in seed production and use of traditional Norwegian varieties.

    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

    225) Linking on-farm management and ex situ conservation at Svalbard Global Seed Vault

    The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway offers storage facilities for duplicates of seed accessions conserved by national, regional and international genebanks, research institutes and NGOs. It thus serves as a ‘backup’ of the ex situ collections of the world. However, it is a major objective of the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food and its partners, the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Nordic Genetic Resources Centre (NordGen), to strengthen the links between various conservation strategies, including in situ and on-farm conservation, and to highlight the complementarities of the various strategies. This has been done, for example, by inviting individual farmers and their organizations to present their work in official ceremonies, like for example the opening ceremony in 2008 and the 10th anniversary of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2018. In addition, storage is also offered for duplicates of unique seed accessions conserved by farming communities. Norway’s annual contribution to the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF), announced at the official opening, is also meant to highlight the importance and complementary contributions of various conservation strategies.

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

    Type of measure/practice: Technical