SPD#5: The FAO Treaty and Farmers’ Rights

To discuss policy developments that affect crop diversity movements, the European Coordination Let’s Liberate Diversity (ECLLD) has launched a series of virtual Seed Policy Dialogues. In September 2021 the meeting focused on the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), and the notion of farmers’ rights.

by Matthias Lorimer | Sep 22, 2021 | Agrobiodiversity and Agroecology, EU Seed Policy & Law

After a summer break, the SPD started again in September 2021, focusing this time on the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), and the notion of farmers’ rights. The dialogue gave an overview of the ITPGRFA itself, and its latest updates, especially on farmers’ rights, and asked what perspective and actions were of interest in the European context. It was enriched by contributions from Mario Marino, from the ITPGRFA Secretariat, and Riccardo BOCCI, from the Rete Semi Rurali network.You can re-watch (in English) the update from Brussels, the presentation from the ITPGRFA Secretariat on Farmers’ Rights: background and implementation, and on the implementation of farmers’ rights in Europe.

Sprouts from Brussels – Fulya Batur

Seed Marketing Reform – Responses to Inception Impact Assessment

Following the publication of the #EuropeanCommission’s inception impact assessment on 15th June 2021, we analyse in detail the feedbacks that were given by different stakeholders in the public consultation process.

ITPGRFA Secretariat on Farmers’ Rights: background and implementation -Mario Marino

In this webinar, we will talk about the historical path, the recognition and the meaning of Farmers’ Rights and the Art. 9 ( i)Rights that farmers have to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seed/propagating material, ii)protection of traditional knowledge, iii)participation in making decisions, iv) equitable participation in sharing benefits).

Mario Marino, from the FAO Treaty Secretariat, updates us with the latest issues of the past Governing Body and invite us to continue sharing our examples of measures and best practices and lessons learned from the realization of Farmers’ Rights!

For further information: Follow Let’s Liberate Diversity! issues at https://liberatediversity.org/newslet…

FARMERS’ RIGHTS http://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/areas…

Or write to: info@liberatediversity.org PGRFA-Treaty@fao.org

The FAO Treaty: Implementation of Farmers’ rights in Europe – Riccardo Bocci

In this presentation, Riccardo Bocci of Rete Semi Rurali talks about the role Europe can play in the farmers’ rights process and his experience in the expert groups of the Europe region. To conclude what could be the vision of a platform that brings together different actors for the on-farm, in situ management of agrobiodiversity.