Throughout the different project cycles, Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty facilitated a likely unprecedented number of PGRFA materials to be accessed, tested and developed with farmers in multiple locations and agro diversity zones. Projects funded through the BSF generated rich and tangible data and knowledge on the multifaced field of PGRFA. Building from the knowledge and lessons generated from the previous cycles, currently the Benefit-sharing Fund has a strong focus on knowledge management and communication, as evidenced also in the MEL Framework and the community of practice initiative.

The Secretariat has created a system for collecting, systematizing, and sharing the knowledge products developed by a wide range of BSF partners: the Repository System for BSF knowledge products. It comprises a wide variety of products developed by our partners and project practitioners that range from production manuals for selected opportunity crops, to research papers and peer review papers, guidelines on conservation and sustainable utilization of specific crops, genotyping and phenotyping, creation of seed value chains, documentation of traditional knowledge and practices, Farmers’ Field Schools Practices, seed systems brochures, participatory evaluation of fruits genetic resources reports, BSc thesis, PhDs, MSc etc. Ideally, the PGRFA managed through the BSF funded projects would have a Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) assigned to facilitate identification, accessibility, cross linking and interoperability when it comes to PGRFA systems

The Repository system is in its initial phase of operations. It will be continuously refined, improved, and adapted to our communities’ needs.

Click here for a list of knowledge products developed by the BSF partners from the third and fort cycles of the BSF.