Plant genetic diversity is crucial to the breeding of food crops and is therefore a central precondition for food security. Diverse genetic resources provide the genetic traits required to deal with crop pests and diseases, as well as changing climate conditions. Plant genetic diversity is also essential for traditional small-scale farming, and is therefore an indispensable factor in the fight against poverty. However, the diversity of domesticated plant varieties is disappearing at an alarming rate while interest in the commercial use of genetic resources has increased in line with bio-technologies, followed by demands for intellectual property rights. This important book contributes to our understanding of how international regimes affect the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in developing countries. It identifies entry points to shape a better governance of agrobiodiversity and provides the first comprehensive analysis of how the international agreements pertaining to crop genetic resources affect the management of these vital resources for food security and poverty eradication in developing countries.
Over the past decade the importance of natural resources for sustainable agricultural development has been increasingly discussed at international forums and conferences. Aside from the sustainable management of soil, water, and air, it now seems to be accepted that the sustainable management of genetic resources is one of the four indispensable preconditions for a sustainable agriculture. The discussion on conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), however, has to reflect the costs of conservation as well. These have not yet been discussed intensively. The study analyzes the conservation costs of plant genetic resources; it also assesses the effectiveness of conservation and the efficiency of the different conservation instruments. It is based on extensive surveys in relevant countries. Following the detailed cost and impact analysis, the results show that the effectiveness of conservation strategies may be increased.
Our food and livelihood security depend on the sustained management of the diverse biological resources that make up the Earth's plant genetic resources. This book is about the creation, management and use of the global crop commons, based upon the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Zusammenfassung: This edited volume covers all major topics related to agri-food transformation towards sustainability in this era of climate change. The topics cover field crops, horticultural crops, livestock sector, nutritional aspects, application of latest field-based technologies, and agriculture related policies and institutions. Some of the key topics are: Innovations for Reconfiguring Food Systems; Transforming High-value Food Commodities; Demand-Supply of Agri-food Commodities; Balancing Human Demand and Ecological Sustainability; International Partnership for Transformation of Agri-Food Systems; Transforming Animal Health and Aquatic Food Systems for Food Security; Climate Resilient Agriculture; Addressing Nutritional Security through Natural Resource Management; Water Harvesting and Improving Water Productivity; Combating Micronutrient Deficiencies; Plant Genetic Resources for Food Security and Nutrition; Genome Editing for Crop Improvement; and Biosafety and Socioeconomic Considerations. Written by experts, this book serves in exchanging and sharing the latest research findings, ideas and experiences on all aspects of agri-food systems to enable the formulation of the ways forward to transform our agri-food system to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations by 2030. The target audience include academicians, researchers, students, farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and others
The book reflects the work in progress regarding the analysis of the costs of crop genetic resources conservation that has been conducted at various research insti tutes over the last couple of years, including research conducted at ZEF and asso ciated institutes. In addition, contributions in this publication were presented at a special session during the "Global Dialogue: The Role of the Village in the 2]'1 Century: Crops, Jobs and Livelihood" in Hannover, Germany, at the World Exposition in Au gust 2000. The purpose of the publication is to make a general contribution to the ongoing discussion about the conservation of crop genetic resources as part of the global strategy to secure increasing food production in a sustainable way. Specifically, it discusses the costs of the worldwide efforts to conserve crop genetic resources on the basis of theoretical and applied studies. It aims to serve decision-makers at dif ferent levels with information on the costs involved in the conservation of genetic resources and hence to increase the awareness of the importance of improving the cost effectiveness of different conservation methods in order to optimize the sus tainability of conservation. The quoted Leipzig Declaration, which was adopted at the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources in Leipzig in June 1996, dem onstrates the close linkage of the contributions to the ongoing discussion about the implementation of the Global Plan of Actionfor the Conservation and Sustainable Utili zation of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
ÔThis book provides a clear analysis of the multi-level impacts of the existing international law regime related to genetic resources on developing countries. It does so through a cogent exposition of the different areas of the law pertaining to genetic resources that are relevant and impact on people's rights and livelihoods. Its focus on equity is a welcome addition to the literature.Õ Ð Philippe Cullet, University of London, UK ÔCamena GuneratneÕs thought-provoking book critically evaluates the clash between the private property approach to genetic resources embedded in international intellectual property conventions, and the competing values embedded in a variety of other conventions and laws. She contests key assumptions behind intellectual property regimes supporting genetic commerce, distinguishing the genetic ÒcommonsÓ from other types of resource. This book provides a comprehensive scholarly dealing with the topics noted in its title, but also should increase debate about policy failures in responding to the risks to the underprivileged of the instruments we use to pursue our economic interests of the majority.Õ Ð Paul Martin, University of New England, Australia ÔThis is a wonderful book. All too often in the quest to preserve biodiversity, we forget that the equation of equity has to be at the forefront of the debates on sustainable development. Dr Guneratne rectifies this mistake. In doing so, she shows us that in many of the most importance instances, we are not only losing large parts of the natural basis on which humanity depends, but also the ability to control the political and legal processes of which many of the world's poorest people depend. This linkage between biodiversity, politics and international law is of such a high calibre, that it is likely that this work will become a key text for students and scholars alike.Õ Ð Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato, New Zealand This book examines current developments in international law which regulate the uses of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and the various property regimes which are applied to these resources by these international agreements. In the current context of the global food crisis, the development and stability of national agricultural systems is an urgent concern, particularly among developing countries. This stability, and national food security, will potentially be threatened if these countries are unable to have free access to agricultural crop plants. This book analyses a range of international agreements including the recently adopted Nagoya Protocol and demonstrates that in their current implementation they favour private ownership of these resources rather than free access. The book takes the position that this is inherently inequitable and these resources should be maintained in the public domain. This book will be of use to a wide range of readers from students and scholars to those working in the fields of trade and intellectual property, human rights, environmental conservation and advocacy on international issues. It contains a rigorous legal analysis of current international law development on the issue based on the negotiations which have taken place in the relevant forums, and will therefore be particularly useful to lawyers and legal scholars. It is also written in an uncomplicated style which makes it readily accessible to non-lawyers and the case studies and empirical data used throughout the book adds to its interest.
Crop plant varieties developed by local farmers, commonly referred to as ‘farmers' varieties’, are problematic because there are no fixed taxonomic or legal definitions of them. As a result, policies to increase the share of benefits farmers receive from the use of such varieties struggle to have an effect. Aiming to clarifying these issues, this volume explores the nature of farmers’ varieties in the context of their biological, social and legal significance. The book addresses the complexities of defining what farmers’ varieties are and how they differ from one another and from generic varieties. It then charts the evolution of the concept of ‘farmers’ rights’, from the dawn of ‘genetic resources’ as a subject worthy of international attention, to the first legal recognition of the concept, through to current efforts to develop national level policies and laws. Further, the book examines outstanding policy-making challenges linked to the absence of fixed taxonomic or legal definitions of farmers’ varieties. Case studies are included from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America in which farmers, researchers and policy advocates have been confronted with the issues raised in this book. Various solutions are considered based on revised or new definitions of farmers’ varieties that reflect the biological and cultural realities in which they are produced, and the relative costs and benefits of attempting to implement each of the policies discussed.
"Chapters 1 to 14 of in this book are based on papers presented at Sessions I, II and IV of an international workshop held from 5 to 7 March 2005 entitled, The Role of Biotechnology for the Characterisation and Conservation of Crop, Forestry, Animal and Fishery Genetic Resources, organized by the FAO Working Group on Biotechnology (FAO-WGB), the Fondazione per le Biotecnologie and the Italian Society of Agriculture Genetics (SIGA). The workshop took place at the Villa Gualino Congress Center in Turin, Italy ...The remaining two chapters, 15 and 16, are from the e-mail conference organized by the FAO-WGB roughly three months after the Turin workshop."--P. xi.
