Bali Global Consultation: shares views and experiences to strengthen the implementation of Farmers’ Rights
14/12/2016
14 December 2016.- The Second Global Consultation on Farmers’ Rights, organized in Bali by Governments of Indonesia and Norway and with the support of Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) has shared and exchanged views and experiences in implementing Farmers’ Rights.
The global event gathered 95 participants representing farmers, farmers’ organizations, representatives from governments, NGOs, policy and legal experts, the seed industry and international development organizations coming from 37 countries of Africa, Asia, the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Europe. They met from 27 to 30 September to share examples on how to promote the realization of Farmers’ Rights in their respective capacities. Several presentations described good practices that have direct benefits to farmers such as the promotion of community seed banks and seed networks, collaboration between farmers and scientists on plant breeding, seed fairs, and others.
They also shared views and identify gaps and needs related to the implementation of Farmers’ Rights as set out in the International Treaty.
The Consultation highlighted that further work on the implementation of Article 9 of the Treaty will support smallholder farmers who contribute to enhancing food and nutrition security, reduce poverty, and maintain agro-biodiversity.
“Choosing what we want to grow, eat and conserve is Farmers’ Rights. It is also about the dignity of farmers, food producers, and about maintaining the food base that enables sustainable production for current and future generations”, said Mr. Tadesse Reta, a farmer from Ethiopia.
“This Consultation has been instrumental in reshaping and forming a new set of recommendations based on country experiences. The effort to provide legal space for farmers’ seed systems is highly appreciated as they play a major role in many countries”, said Ms. Deepa Singh Shrestha, a participant from the Agricultural Research Council of Nepal.
The Consultation, benefited also of financial contributions from the Governments of Italy and Switzerland.
The Report of the Consultation will be brought to the attention of the Governing Body of the Treaty at its Seven Session in 2017.