PGRFA (The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) (FAO)
1989
...operationalize farmers’ rights by ‘establishing a mandatory international fund to support conservation and utilization of PGRs through various programmes particularly, but not exclusively, in the Third World’
2001
- protection of traditional knowledge relevant to PGRFA
- right to equitably participate in benefit-sharing
- the right to participate in decision making at national levels on matters related to PGRFA
- The most important issue of farmers’ rights – to use, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds of local as well as improved varieties – left to national governments.
- USA: signature only, non-contracting party
- FARMERS' RIGHTS defined as:
'the customary rights that farmers have had as stewards of agro-biodiversity since the dawn of agriculture to save, grow, share, develop and maintain plant varieties, of their legitimate right to be rewarded and supported for their contribution to the global pool of genetic resources as well as to the development of commercial varieties of plants, and to participate in decision making on issues that may affect these rights.