Online conference on Options for Farmers’ Rights Initiated by CGN and CTDT Funded by DGIS and OxfamNovib

Basic data Number of participants: 55 Number of contributions: 138 Geographical span: worldwide Participation: on invitation Output 6 Newsletters GB-3 Information document Farmer support document

Three discussion rounds Objectives to be reached by creating legal space Current experiences with legal space Future options for legal space

General observations (1) Categories of farmers Motives for FR Recognition and compensation Seed management an open system e.g. as open software Relation to PBR Agreement on farmers as breeders Wide recognition of PPB

General observations (2) Farmers’ Rights as communal rights No individualisation Impact of seed acts Major impacts on marketing Effects of Free Trade Agreements Bilateral trade-offs Early experiences at the national level

Specific discussion on Article 9.3 Relation with national seed acts Marketing requirements Relation with UPOV, farm saved seed and ‘private use’ Exchange and sales at the community level

Specific discussion on Article 9.2 Protection of traditional knowledge and registration Indian type; farmers’ registries; geographic origin protection Farmers’ contributions and benefit-sharing (non)-monetary; PIC? Participation in decision-making Awareness raising; farmers’ organisations

Some major questions which laws need revision to realize farmers’ rights? how to protect traditional knowledge? Which type of benefit-sharing is best? How to involve farmers and their organizations?

Four proposals A request to the Secretary and FAO to study the options for provisions in national seed legislation of Contracting Parties, with a view to provide recommendations and/or guidelines for the introduction of legislation that would allow for the unrestricted or less restricted sales of farmer varieties. A request to the Secretary of the Treaty and UPOV to study, the possible means and mechanisms to streamline Article 9.3 into UPOV 78/91 regarding protected varieties in particular regarding the options for provisions in national legislation based on UPOV 78 or 91 that would allow small-scale farmers in developing countries to save, use, sell and exchange protected varieties within their communities .

Four proposals An encouragement to donors to continue with the online conference group as a forum for further discussion and exchange on the implementation of Farmers’ Rights, and to continue helping discussions on the implementation of Farmers’ Rights through any other means and approaches. An encouragement to donors to provide financial assistance to help developing countries to organize farmers´ workshops to gather inputs for policy decisions on the implementation of Farmers’ Rights, seed legislation, and intellectual property rights legislation.

Report by Robin Pistorius, Eng Siang Lim, Huib Ghijsen en Bert Visser Thank you