OBJECTIVE

Through the implementation of this FMM Subprogramme, the capacities of Contracting Parties of the ITPGRFA to implement the Treaty will be improved. The Subprogramme would also provide opportunities for Contracting Parties and stakeholders to share experiences and learn from each other and discuss future cooperation and collaboration, especially to support developing Contracting Parties to enhance their capacities.

EXPECTED IMPACT

Measures to conserve and sustainably use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) strengthened for sustainable agriculture practices

OUTCOMES

Improved capacity of Contracting Parties to advance implementation of the ITPGRFA, in particular the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS) and Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF), Farmers’ Rights (FR), and Conservation and Sustainable Use (CSU)

Sustainable and strategic partnerships developed among Contracting Parties for better management of PGRFA

Implementation of the ITPGRFA through the FMM 153

Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF)

The Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF), which is under the direct control of the International Treaty’s Governing Body, is the operational mechanism to use and share benefits arising from the Multilateral System. It supports projects that leverage plant genetic resources to find solutions for complex challenges relating to food and nutrition insecurity, biodiversity loss and climate change.

The fifth round of the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) will disburse over USD 7 million to projects that benefit small-scale farmers in developing countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate change and food insecurity, and dependent on plant genetic resources to ensure their livelihoods.

The Secretariat pf the ITPGRFA has been developing various tools for BSF partners to support project implementation and raising visibility at different levels. Reporting and monitoring tools have been updated to enable, inter alia, a more systematic reporting on PGRFA data and information arising from projects; a toolkit has been developed to enable the systematization of communication material, knowledge and best practices arising from BSF. The toolkit is an evolving instrument that will be further developed and tested with BSF partners in 2022. Other communication initiatives have been developed to enable the dissemination of best practices and relevant success stories arising from BSF implementation.

Communication toolkit: https://bit.ly/BSF-commstoolkit

Voices of Diversity: https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/areas-of-work/benefit-sharing-fund/voices-diversity/en/ 

BSF stories:  http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1401395/

Capacity Building

A series of training materials have been developed with the aim to strengthen stakeholders’ capacities for the operation of the International Treaty .

Each module consists of several self-contained lessons that elaborate on the provisions of the International Treaty and provide best practices and concrete examples derived from the expertise accumulated during the early phase of implementation.:

A specific module on Multilateral System has been launched on 2022 It provides an overview of the legal and historical perspectives that lead to the development of the Multilateral System and the list of Annex I crops.

Introduction to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Conservation and Sustainable Use under the International Treaty

The Funding Strategy of the International Treaty

Farmers’ Rights

The Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing

Conservation and Sustainable Use (CSU)

Toolbox for Sustainable Use of PGRFA

It is an online tool system to assist all stakeholders involved in different aspects of the global PGRFA use:

The Toolbox is for anyone seeking information or guidance on policies, strategies and activities that can promote and enhance the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA, particularly at national and local levels. Users are expected to be from a wide range of stakeholder groups.

The secretariat of the ITPGRFA is developing a new structure for the Toolbox to make it more user-friendly with:

• An expansion of the scope and coverage of the resources reflected in the Toolbox, for instance, resources on crop wild relatives and wild edible species;
• Promotion of the Toolbox and creating awareness through increasing its visibility both on the International Treaty website and through other relevant systems and processes;
• Conducting capacity-building activities on the contents and use of the Toolbox, including through regional webinars;
• Monitoring and collecting information on the use and users, which could be done with the help of stakeholders and evaluated by the Secretariat; and
• Regular evaluation of the Toolbox to enable the assessment of its added value.

Farmers’ Rights (FR)

Inventory of national measures, best practices and lessons learned from the realization of Farmers’ Rights, as set out in the International Treaty

The aim of the Inventory is to present a range of measures and practices for the realization of Farmers’ Rights, so as to share, among Contracting Parties and interested stakeholders, experiences gained so far in the realization of Farmers’ Rights, together with lessons learned, as set out in Article 9 of the International Treaty.

Contributing to the Inventory

Contracting Parties, farmers' organizations, stakeholders and relevant organizations may submit and/or update their experiences on the implementation of Article 9 of the International Treaty by using this template in any one of the following languages: EN - FR - ES - AR.

The Inventory is available on line.