粮食和农业植物遗传资源国际条约 (ITPGRFA)

The conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture are key to ensuring that the world will produce enough food to feed its growing population in the future and to do so under changing climate conditions. TheInternational Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is a legally binding instrument adopted by the FAO Conference in 2001 and it entered into force on 29 June 2004.

The International Treaty is crucial in the fight against hunger and poverty and essential for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 1 and 7.

No country is self-sufficient in plant genetic resources; all depend on genetic diversity in crops from other countries and regions. International cooperation and facilitated exchange of genetic resources and associated information is therefore essential for food security. The fair sharing of these resources and the benefits arising from their use, has for the first time, been practically implemented at the international level through the Treaty’s Standard Material Transfer Agreement and itsBenefit-sharing Fund.

The Governing Body of the ITPGRFA is the highest organ of the Treaty.