Overview of typical measures
relevant for the realization of
Farmers’ Rights to fair and
equitable benefit sharing
Global Consultation on Farmers’ Rights
23-25 November 2010, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ingrid Rosalie Gorre and Wilhelmina Pelegrina SEARICE
Simplified Value Creation Chain for
Genetic Resources
Source: Julia Rojahn, 2010, Fair Shares or Biopiracy: Developing Ethical Criteria for Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits from Crop
Genetic Resources, unpublished dissertation. Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen. http://tobias-lib.unituebingen.de/volltexte/2010/4733/pdf/Kompletttext_16_04_10_Veroeffentlichung_interaktiv.pdf
Cycle of farmers’ innovation
In farmers’ fields: genetic resources are under perpetual state of conservation,use and
development. A dynamic system over space and time; the ‘foundation’ of Farmers’
Rights to PGRFA - that these dynamic processes (customary) continues; whether benefit
sharing mechanisms support this process.
Typologies of benefit sharing
legislations
Other benefit sharing measures

‘upstream focused benefit sharing’
 Democratizing agricultural research and extension by
mainstreaming within institutions farmers’ participation - e.g.
participatory plant breeding


With different typologies, mostly in the global south: Nepal, Bhutan, Lao
PDR, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, India, China, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Iran, Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cuba,
Honduras, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone etc
With components of technology/skills transfer, information exchange and
capacity building among farmers, plant breeders/researchers
Other benefit sharing measures

Public support and funding for on-farm conservation and
biodiversity management at local/community level


Community seed banks and seed saving networks
 mostly initiated by civil society organizations and farmers themselves
but gaining strong goernment support (e.g. Ethiopia, Mali, Zimbabwe,
India, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Thailand, Canada etc)
Community based seed production
 funding and insitutional support to local seed clubs formed by
farmers (e.g Vietnam)
Other benefit sharing mechanisms

Public support and funding …



Community developed seeds for disaster relief response (e.g.
Philippines and Thailand)
Price incentives for farmer developed seeds (traditional or new
varieties by farmers) and grains
 E.g. Hue, Vietnam Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development bought farmer seeds at higher prices which were
distributed to other farmers for use
Support for farmer capacity building for seed production
including on-farm conservation and participatory plant
breeding
 E.g. 1:1:1 program of An Giang DARD with Vietnam Food
Company and farmer groups
Some examples of possible benefit sharing mechanisms
that can support Farmers’ Rights under the Nagoya
protocol










Access fees/fee per sample collected or otherwise acquired;
Special fees to be paid to trust funds supporting conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity;
Research funding;
Participation in product development;
Strengthening capacities for technology transfer;
Institutional capacity-building;
Contributions to the local economy;
Research directed towards priority needs, such as health and food security,
taking into account domestic uses of genetic resources in the Party providing
genetic resources;
Food and livelihood security benefits;
Social recognition
What is the measure of success?
Are farmers better off with the different
mechanisms?