Access to seeds is Farmers’ Right. Photo：Guenay Ulutuncok

Farmers’ Rights-a working definition

The International Treaty does not offer a definition of Farmers’ Rights but simply describes the measures that need to be taken to protect and promote them. The document is，however，based on a common understanding of these rights acquired in the many years of negotiations that led up to the formulation of the Treaty：

The traditional rights which farmers as guardians and stewards of agrobiodiversity have had since agriculture began are termed Farmers’Rights. They include the right of farmers to self-determination when they store seed and planting material，plant it and share it with others，develop it and conserve varieties. Farmers also have the right to be rewarded for their contribution to the global pool of plant genetic resources and to the development of commercial plant varieties，either by the seed industry which uses their resources or-where the conservation of genetic resources for the general good is concerned-by the state or by the international community of states. They also have the right to be involved in any decision-making processes that have a direct bearing on Farmers’ Rights.

For thousands of years farmers all over the world have sown and harvested，saved seed and planting material for the following year and exchanged seeds and plants with their neighbours. In so doing they have created an almost unimaginable abundance of plants，and with their knowledge and skill they have paved the way for the food plants that we use today. In industrialised countries plant breeding and propagation has long been fully commercialised，but in developing countries it remains part of the day-to-day work of many farmers. Yet no one rewards these farmers for their contribution to the conservation of food plant diversity and thus to the global food security.

This was the background against which，following many years of discussion，the members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations（FAO）adopted the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Among other things，this treaty establishes what have come to be known as Farmers’ Rights. The aim is to ensure that it is worthwhile for farmers to continue safeguarding and enhancing agricultural plant diversity. The Treaty came into force on 29 July 2004.