Rome, Italy
4 May 2021
The International Treaty has launched the “Inventory on Farmers’ Rights,” a unique collection of lessons learned and best practices for the implementation of Farmers’ Rights from countries around the world.
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was the first legally binding international instrument to explicitly recognize the enormous contribution of farmers and indigenous communities in conserving, improving and making available the diversity of crops that are fundamental for human nutrition, health and agricultural production throughout the world. These past, present and future contributions of farmers form the basis of Farmers’ Rights.
While various elements of Farmers’ Rights are set out in Article 9 of the International Treaty, the responsibility for their realization rests with national governments, acknowledging that each Contracting Party’s needs and priorities for implementing Farmers’ Rights may vary.
“The Inventory is an important milestone in advancing the realization of Farmers' Rights”, said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty. “The effort to gather this huge body of knowledge and practical experience from around the world is a unique one. The Inventory comprises a valuable collection of national measure that may be adopted, best practices and lessons learned from the realization of Farmers’ Rights. Our hope is that the Inventory will serve as a source of inspiration and a stimulus for the process of implementing these rights.”
The Inventory currently contains over 200 experiences collected from around the world. Each entry is based on a submission of a Contracting Party or Stakeholder and includes information such as objectives, history and context of the proposed measure or practice, main achievements and lessons learned. The Inventory provides a valuable collection of measures that countries can use as examples for formulating their own measures.
The Inventory on Farmers’ Right has been developed by the Ad hoc Technical Expert Group on Farmers’ Rights, which was established by the Governing Body at its Seventh Session in 2017, with the support of the Secretariat of the International Treaty. It is available in English, Arabic, French and Spanish, and will be updated on a continual basis.
Links to the Farmers’ Rights Inventory:
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