The BSF supports small-scale farmers in developing countries to improve their livelihoods, and to promote food security and sustainable agriculture through the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic diversity.

The BSF funds projects that focus on:

• Improving on-farm management of plant genetic diversity, adapted to farmers’ needs and preferences, and that engage farmers in the genetic improvement of such diversity.
• Enhancing local value chains to improve the production and consumption of adapted plant genetic diversity.
• Strenghthening the mechanisms to enhance the sharing of PGRFA, data and knowledge on innovations for PGRFA management.

The primary beneficiaries of the BSF are farmers who conserve and sustainably use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. All projects funded demonstrate the benefits that PGRFA brings to farmers, with a special emphasis on support to on-farm and in situ management, farmer-to-farmer exchanges, local seed value chains, and a better flow of PGRFA from ex-situ collections to farmers and back.

With its projects and as programme, the Benefit-sharing Fund responds to the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and specifically focuses on:

• Priority area 2: Supporting on-farm management and improvement of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and;
• Priority area 11: Promoting development and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers’ varieties/landraces and underutilized crops.

Besides the priority areas, the BSF puts in place supportive activities and enabling initiatives for the implementation of other priorities of the Second Global Plan of Action.