Progress towards the Realization of Farmers’ Rights to Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing:Stories from Nepal Shreeram P Neopane and Bikash Paudel, LI-BIRD, Pokhara, Nepal 23 November 2010, Idis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background  Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD); NGO; established in 995; Based in Pokhara, Nepal Contributes to reducing poverty and improving social justice by empowering poor and marginalized people, and by creating opportunities to improve quality of life through partnership and participatory approaches to research and development on natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Completed more than 100 research and development projects on field of biodiversity management, and agriculture Known for developing community based methodologies for in-situ conservation of agriculture biodiversity

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Rights to Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing  Realization as the most important right among other FRs  Expect monitory benefit sharing over non-monitory; but no formal cases of monitory benefit sharing  multilateral benefit sharing funds (e.g. IT - Benefit Sharing Fund) is very difficult to apply; for farming communities and even to CSOs  Some practices of on-farm agro-biodiversity management identified where the actual benefits have been shared fairly and equitably  Opportunity to assist those farmers’ initiatives for indirect benefit sharing

Local Mechanisms for Sharing Benefits Sharing the benefit in monitory form  Community Biodiversity Management Fund (CBM Fund) Sharing the non-monitory benefits – assisting CBM practices where the benefits are distributed fairly and equitably  Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB)  Community Biodiversity Register (CBR)  Community Seed Bank (CSB)  Value addition and Marketing of local products  Community Based Seed Production (CBSP)

Community Biodiversity Management Fund (CBM Fund)  Fund equitably accessed by all category of farmers  Supported in biodiversity conservation  Farmers’ involved in conservation are the only beneficiaries Conservation activityTotal cultivation of local varieties58(31.1) Management of diversity blocks7(3.7) Planting trees (fodder and other)90(48.3) Others31(16.6) Total186(100) Support of CBM fund to conservation >>> established CBM fund of about NRs. 4 m; mobilized by 32 local institutions >>>

Community Biodiversity Register (CBR)  Provides the basis of ownership and benefit sharing on local varieties  Protect the GR and ATK from disappearing  Protects from mis- use/appropriation of ATK  Provide basis for defensive publication >>> about 20 CBRs in VDC level and 180 CBRs in ward level have been established >>> >>> MoFSC has included in national programme >>>

Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB)  Benefits distributed fairly and equitably, with no restriction for farmers  Protects the right on local and farmers’ varieties  Adds value to local genetic resources, respecting the choice/knowledge of farmers  Easy access to the source seed

Achievements: PPB >>> Released Rice Varieties 1. Barkhe Sunaulo Sugandha 3. Pokahreli Jethobudho Pipeline Varieties Rice: Barkhe 1027, Barkhe 2014, Judi 582, Barkhe 3019, Mansara 5, Birmaphul 3, Kachorwa 4 Maize: Resunga Composite, Gulmi 2 Kidney bean: PDR- 14 >>>

Community Seed Bank (CSB)  Improve access of farmers’ on local and improved seed; mostly by poor  Institution to provide access to local seed, with MTA and benefit sharing agreement  Provide opportunity to link in-situ and ex-situ, linking farmers to ex-situ collections >>> about 16 CSBs have been established by LI-BIRD programme in Nepal >>> >>> started to provide PIC >>> >>> MoAC has included in national programme >>>

Value Addition and Marketing of Local Genetic Resources  supporting value addition and marketing generate direct benefits from the conservation;  to them who hold GR and ATK >>> value addition and marketing is ongoing in more than 20 species of genetic resources involving about 700 farming households >>>

Community Based Seed Production (CBSP)  Supportive CBSPs recognize farmers’ as producer as well as consumers of seed  CBSP reduces dependency of farmers on outside sources of seed  Seed production and marketing of local varieties >>> more than 25 CBSPs in LI-BIRD’s network, producing more than 300 tons rice and more than 20 tons maize seeds >>>

Farmers’ Organization  Providing access  Benefit sharing  Documentation and management of GR  Farmers’ rights – participation, ABS >>> more than 32 village biodiversity conservation and development committees (BCDCs) >>> >>> Agriculture Development and Conservation Farmers’ Committee in National level >>>

Conclusions  CBM practices provides basis for realization of farmers’ rights; including rights to fair and equitable benefit sharing  Practices alone are not capable to ensure farmers’ rights by themselves, so CBM framework is identified

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