The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture ‘The FAO’s Seed Treaty’

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture The International Treaty’s contribution to food security and climate change adaptation is realized primarily through: Policy discussion on the conservation and use of crop seeds and other planting material; Facilitated exchange of seeds for research, training and breeding through the Multilateral system, the global crop gene pool; Financial support to seed conservation through its Benefit-sharing Fund; With Technology transfer mechanisms;

The Multilateral System of ABS All countries depend on seed and other plant genetic resources generated outside their borders; The Multilateral system (MLS) establishes a common global gene pool of seeds and other material (rice, wheat, sorghum, potato, maize, etc); It enables farmers, scientific institutions and public and private sector plant breeders to easily exchange and improve agricultural crop varieties stored in gene banks from other countries and international institutions, like the CGIAR.

Since 2006 – The MLS 64 crops included in Annex 1 of the Treaty; Other countries and institutions make available more crops through the same rules and conditions of the gene pool; >1,5 million of accessions* available; >800 transfers per day around the world; > accessions transferred reported; * An accession is an entry in a gene bank catalogue and usually contains several samples of the same variety.

Part IV of the Treaty Articles The SMTA is being used accessions transferred to breeding and research programmes Legal Text ImplementationField Results NovemberJanuary>800 transfers per day… From Normative Work to the Field

The Benefit-sharing Fund of the Treaty Invests directly in high impact projects supporting farmers in developing countries who conserve crop diversity in their fields and assisting farmers and breeders globally to adapt crops to our changing needs and demands. Two project calls and cycles since 2008 with 29 projects conservation projects funded in 39 countries; The project are appraised by technical experts according to scientific criteria and their relevance for food security

Article 19.3.f of the Treaty: establish, as needed, an appropriate mechanism, such as a Trust Account, for receiving and utilizing financial Opening of the First Call for Project Proposals Results and impact in the Field Legal TextImplementationField Results 1 ArticleFund established32 projects worldwide… From Normative Work to the Field

Projects and biodiversity zones

The Treaty - a unique, high impact, fully operational global instrument