19/07/2023

A Crucial Step Towards Global Food Security

Rome, Italy, 19 July 2023 – “Strengthening Seed Systems through Realizing Farmers’ Rights” was the focus of a Special Event held in Rome at FAO HQ duringthe Nineteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA-19).

“Farmers have served as the guardians of the seeds that have nourished the world for countless generations,” said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in his opening remarks.

In recognizing the significance of farmers as the custodians of agricultural heritage, the CGRFA-19 Side Event, co-organized by the Governments of Norway and India, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the International Treaty, set the stage for discussions on the realization of Farmers' Rights and its implications on global food security.

Secretary Nnadozie highlighted the unique significance of the International Treaty as the first legally-binding international instrument explicitly acknowledging the invaluable role played by smallholder farmers and indigenous communities in managing plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) over millennia. Article 9 of the International Treaty calls upon all nations to safeguard and promote traditional knowledge and the rights of smallholder farmers and indigenous communities who are steadfast guardians of seeds and PGRFA.

The event, which was chaired by Svanhild-Isabelle Batta Torheim, of Norway’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, showcased examples of measures and practices in promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights, inspiring a supportive environment for agricultural communities.

 “Agriculture is about people, more specifically, it is about farmers and their relationships with the agroecosystems, hence the focus of any agricultural development should be the farmers.” said Nori Ignacio, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE).

“In the valleys of Kashmir, an agricultural revival is taking place, as farmers embrace the cultivation of ‘MushkBudij,’ an aromatic rice variety that holds deep cultural and culinary significance,” sharedTrilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson of India’s Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, as he highlighted India’s efforts to safeguard and promote farmers' rights and their rich biodiversity heritage.

“There is no food sovereignty without cultural diversity,”said Mario Marino of the International Treaty Secretariat, as he highlighted the ongoing development of the Inventory of national measures, best practices, and lessons learnedfrom the realization of Farmers’ Rights, along with Options for encouraging, guiding, and promoting these rights.

The event also emphasized the crucial linkages between the ongoing work on Farmers’ Rights within the International Treaty community and the larger context of seed systems and access to seeds in the Commission.

“We recognize that multiple seed systems exist everywhere in the world,” said Shawn McGuire of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division, “and nobody is saying that the goal is for all farmers and all crops to be modern varieties, and all seed quality-assured. But we are saying that there is considerable scope to improve farmers’ access to quality seeds and to productive and adapted crop varieties as a start.”

The event also provided a forum for discussion about the first Global Symposium on Farmers’ Rights, scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India in September this year.

@PlantTreaty  

#ItAllStartsWithTheSeed #farmers #CropDiversity #biodiversity #CGRFA