The Convention on Biological Diversity and Agriculture
June 2002
Chela Vazquez
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Abstract
Agricultural biodiversity refers to the wide variety of genetic resources
that feed and nurture people. The rich variety of crops existing today,
developed by farmers over thousands of years, represents the foundation of
global food security. It has been estimated that 1-2% of crop varieties
are lost every year. The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
are goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and therefore the
prevention of further erosion of crop genetic resources (GR) also lies
within the CBD's mandate. Threats to conservation and sustainable use of
agricultural diversity include: Industrialized intensive monocultures tend
to replace traditional varieties that eventually become extinct. The
potential contamination of native varieties by invasive species, such as
genetically modified organisms (GMOs), threaten indigenous agro-ecosystems
and undermine farmers' economic security. The application and spread of
genetic use restriction technologies (GURTs), by which plants are modified
to prevent farmers from re-using harvested seed forcing farmers to buy new
seeds from multinational corporations every year, is seen as infringing on
indigenous and local communities, and farmers' rights. Intellectual
property rights (IPR) on crop varieties (i.e. seeds) may have a negative
impact on agricultural biodiversity by fostering an environment unfriendly
to traditional varieties in favor of a few new varieties, and result in
commercial breeding for uniformity. Also, interpretation of the CBD's
objective on the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of
the utilization of GR has been controversial. Proposed guidelines on
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) purportedly improve the way companies, and
researchers gain access to GR in return for sharing the benefits with
GR-rich countries and with local and indigenous communities. However,
critics contend that ABS legalizes piracy of biological resources by
corporations by allowing IPR regimes on living organisms. Concerned groups
from civil society urge governments to implement a global moratorium on
'GURTs technology'; take a tough line on the spread of GMOs; reassert the
Precautionary Principle with respect to the development and use of genetic
engineering technologies; ratify the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and
develop a Liability Protocol; ratify the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, strengthen its provisions for
farmers' rights and further limit IPRs; and ban patents on life.