Bioversity International policy scientist Ronnie Vernooy gave this presentation at the the Global Consultation on Farmers’ Rights, Indonesia, 27-30 September 2016, organized by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). The importance of farmers’ rights is recognized in Article 9 of the Plant Treaty. In this presentation Vernooy shows how a community-based approach to the management of agricultural biodiversity, including supporting community seedbanks, can empower and benefit smallholder farmers and farming communities economically, environmentally and socially. This approach makes implementing farmers’ rights at national level both practical and effective contributing to food and seed security, sustainable livelihoods and resilience. For more information, please visit: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research-portfolio/conservation-of-crop-diversity/community-seedbanks/ http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research-portfolio/policies-for-plant-diversity-management/the-plant-treaty/

1. Community seed banks and farmers’ rights
Ronnie Vernooy, Bioversity International,
Farmers’ Rights Consultation, Bali, Indonesia, 27-30 September 2016.

2. Multiple functions
Conservation: short and long term
• Local/rare/heirloom varieties
• Restoration of “lost” varieties
• Climate resilient varieties

3. Multiple functions contd.
Documentation and protection of indigenous/local knowledge
• Access and availability
• Exchanges of quality seeds
• Introducing new diversity
• Seed production and distribution/marketing
• Participatory crop improvement
Seed and food sovereignty
• Community biodiversity management

4. Community seed banks and farmers’ rights (1)
Recognition:
Importance of traditional varieties and related knowledge in
smallholder farmers’ livelihoods
Community seed banks as part of: national conservation strategy
(South Africa)/agrobiodiversity policy (Nepal)/PGRFA policy
(Uganda)
Access and benefit sharing: financial and technical support,
access to ‘new’ seeds and knowledge, connections to the national
genebank, crop improvement, improved extension service

5. Community seed banks and farmers’ rights (2)
Participation in decision making: emerging
• Through national network of community seed banks (Nepal)
• Cooperation with national genebank (Bhutan, Zimbabwe)
• Cooperation with international genebank (Peru)
• Cooperation with plant breeding institutions (Bangladesh)
Key roles of women recognized and valued

6. Community seed banks and farmers’ rights (3)
Save/sell/exchange seeds: At the
heart, but could be expanded to
the right to agrobiodiversity
Note that: United Nations’ draft
declaration on the rights of
peasants and other people working
in rural areas (UN 2015) includes
the right to seeds (Article 22) and
to biological diversity (Article 23)
Read our brief!

7. Sustainability (1)
• Farmers’ interest and leadership
• Availability of local facilitator and
interlocutor with other
organizations
• Responsiveness to crop diversity
decline/loss
• Possibility to respond to climate
change stresses

8. Sustainability (2)
• Potential to develop into a broader
community organization
• Availability of sound technical
support; technical capabilities of
farmers
• Possibility to link with crop
improvement activities and to
national genebank
• Supportive policy and legal
environment

9. Challenges

10. Recognition and rewarding of custodians

11. Towards a national gene/seed banking
system

12. Adding value

13. Strengthening the capacity to adapt to climate change

14. Community seed banks as platform for local
rural development

15. Stronger policy and legal support

16. Photo credits
Carlos Alberto Dayrell, Brazil
EOSA, Ethiopia
E.D. Israel Oliver King, MSSRF, India
Prem Mathur, Bioversity International
Pitambar Shrestha, LI-BIRD
Stefano Padulosi, Bioversity International
The Spanish Seed Network
UBINIG, Bangladesh
Ronnie Vernooy, Bioversity International

17. Thank you
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@BioversityInt
Ronnie Vernooy
r.vernooy@cgiar.org