21/09/2022

New Delhi, India, 17 September 2022 – “Celebrating Farmers as Guardians of Crop Diversity” was the focus of a Special Event held in New Delhi today at the Pullman Aerocity.

The event was opened by Yasmina El-Bahloul, Chair of GB-9, who warmly welcomed all present.

“Farmers have been the custodians of the seeds that feed the world for millennia,” said Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty, in his opening remarks. He recalled that the International Treaty is the first legally-binding international instrument to explicitly acknowledge the tremendous contribution of smallholder farmers and indigenous communities towards the management of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The International Treaty contains a specific Article calling on all nations to protect and promote traditional knowledge and Farmers’ Rights. “These guardians of crop diversity around the world deserve recognition and celebration,” Secretary Nnadozie said.

The Special Event took place two days before the Ninth Session of the Governing Body (GB-9) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, being hosted by the Government of India in New Delhi, India, from 19 through 24 September 2022. The theme of GB-9 is “Celebrating Guardians of Crop Diversity: towards an inclusive Global Biodiversity Framework.”

The first segment of the Special Event featured sharing national experiences in celebrating and promoting farmers from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Countries from these regions highlighted how they celebrate and protect farmers. For example, Sweden spoke of the ‘Golden Pea award’ they have in recognition of individuals who have contributed to the conservation of PGRFA. Nepal shared that they are observing 2022 as the Year of Agro-biodiversity in support of the guardians of the nation’s agricultural biodiversity, which is also helping raise public awareness about the importance of agro-biodiversity. Malawi reported that it is drafting a National PGRFA Strategy and integrating farmers and PGRFA into National Disaster and Risk Management Plans.

India showcased its “Genome Saviour Award,” a cash award to farmers who have made exceptional contributions to PGRFA in the country, five of whom were on-hand to share their own experiences. K. V. Prabhu, Chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India, introduced the awardees. He also recalled that India is the first and currently the only Contracting Party of the International Treaty that has enacted Farmers’ Rights legislation, which it has had since 2001.

The last segment of the Special Event focussed on 2023 as the UN International Year of Millets (IYoM), an initiative spearheaded by India. Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India, highlighted the high-nutrition, low requirement qualities of millets, which could help address both nutritional deficiencies and environmental impacts. She invited all nations to collaborate on IYOM.

@PlantTreaty 

#GB9 #ItAllStartsWithTheSeed #farmers #CropDiversity #biodiversity