“Voices of Diversity” of the Benefit-sharing Fund
24/05/2021
Video messages from International Treaty Stakeholders
20 May 2021, Rome, Italy –The Secretariat of the InternationalTreaty has just released Voices of Diversity, in which farmers, breeders and decision-makers voice their challenges, approaches and concerns in fostering the conservation and use of plant genetic diversity around the world.
The series brings together project participants and partners involved in the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) in different parts of the world. The series comes in advance of the International Day of Biological Diversity, the theme of which is “We’re part of the solution,” and presents a mosaic of messages from key actors in the agricultural sector who play active roles in “being part of the solution” to safeguard plant biodiversity.
Voices of Diversity amplifies the voices of people who are finding and scaling-up practical solutions to conserve and sustainably use plant genetic diversity. The series includes a 3-minute compilation video of participants from around the globe, complemented by nine individual video messages, posted on a dedicated webpage on the International Treaty website featuring a video wall, with links to more detailed information on the specific BSF projects.
It has been produced in close cooperation with people directly involved in the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture from more than 25 countries. Theydiscuss diverse agro-ecological settings – from lowland paddies and island cultures to dry savannah and mountainous areas, where people grow a variety of crops, often chosen for their adaptability to harsh and changing climate conditions. All messages were written and recorded by the participants themselves, who consciously took the opportunity to share their insights, successes and requests.
While the video messages present the diversity and locality of challenges and approaches, they also draw a larger picture of meeting climate change and achieving food security and sustainable agriculture. In a mosaic, they stress the need for collaborative work and strengthening links between various efforts and methods.
This Voices of Diversity initiative will continue over the next few months, featuring a new set of video messages every few weeks through the dedicated webpage.
| The Benefit-sharing Fund of the International Treaty invests directly in high impact projects supporting farmers in developing countries conserve crop diversity in their fields and assisting farmers and breeders globally adapt crops to changing needs and demands. It has directly benefitted over 1 million people in 67 developing countries through 81 projects, to date. |
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