Devendra Gauchan, PhD Senior Scientist (Agricultural Economist) Nepal Agricultural Research Council

1. Strategies at the Grassroots Level for ensuring Farmers’ Rights related to Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing and Farmers' Participation in the Decision Making Process Devendra Gauchan, PhD Senior Scientist (Agricultural Economist) Nepal Agricultural Research Council A Paper presented in the “Need Assessment Workshop on Genetic Resources and Farmers' Rights” held in Godavari Resort, May 3-4, 2005 Kathmandu, Nepal

2. Issues of Genetic Resources and Farmers’ Rights in Nepal • Nepalese farmers have made unique evolutionary and historical contributions in management & development of genetic resources • Traditional crop varieties and breeds are important source for farmers’ livelihood & raw materials for breeders & future agril innovations • But farmers lack control, ownership and access of their own genetic resources developed over millennia

3. Issue of Genetic Resources & Farmers’ Rights in Nepal • Nepali farmers are not only cultivators but also conservators and breeders of genetic resources • Restricting the age-old traditional right of the farmer to save, reuse, exchange and replant seeds will be disastrous since more than 90 per cent of the Nepali farmers depend on informal seed supply system • Farming communities should not merely enjoy their rights to receive economic benefits, but their rights to seed, traditional knowledge, take part in decision making process should also be protected and promoted

4. Issue of Genetic Resources & Farmers’ Rights in Nepal.. • Farmers are the key actors for conserving and utilising agro-biodiversity in a sustainable manner "Failure to provide them with rights will have deleterious effect on existence of agro-biodiversity for prosperity” • Small Farmers’ livelihood depend on local genetic resources. Infringement of farmers’ rights in any form put their livelihood at risk • Protecting the rights of the farmers is linked to the issue of ethics, social justice, environmental protection and survival of human race

5. Definition of Farmers’ Rights (FAO, 1989) • The principles of Farmers’ Rights, endorsed by the FAO in 1989, recognizes that farmers and rural communities have contributed greatly to the creation, conservation, exchange and knowledge of genetic resources, and • Therefore, they should be recognized and rewarded for their past and on-going contributions • It also foresees protection of farmers from the commercially motivated intellectual property systems

6. Definition of Farmers’ Rights.. • Rights to Seed: Rights of farmers to save, use, sow, exchange and sell farm-saved seed • Promote and protect rights to traditional knowledge • Right to participate in fair and equitable sharing of benefits • Right to participate in decisions making process

7. Strategies for Ensuring Farmers’ Rights in Genetic Resources Prerequisites • Farmer/community focus in R & D activities (e.g. farmer participatory R&D such as PPB ) • Focus on In Situ On-farm rather than Ex-situ Conservation of Genetic Resources

8. Strategies for Ensuring Farmers’ Rights in Genetic Resources • Focus on local capacity building of the communities in organizing in groups and in local and national policy decision making • Documentation, registration, management and use of local genetic resources and indigenous knowledge at the local level • Developing institutional and legal framework at the local and national level for protection of local genetic resources and their knowledge • Institutional mechanisms for implementing farmers’ rights

9. Grass roots Strategies /Approaches • Community Biodiversity Registration (CBR) • Establishment of Community Seed Bank (gene bank) at the local level • Farmers Participation in Genetic Resource Enhancement and Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) • Creating awareness of GR at the Local Level through, Biodiversity Fairs, Diversity Block, Rural Radio etc. • Farmers’ participation in negotiation for Access and Benefit sharing Agreement

10. Grass roots Strategies /Approaches • Developing mechanisms for Prior informed consent (PIC) & in Mutually Agreed Terms with the local communities in accessing genetic resources and indigenous knowledge • Capacity building of farmers and CBO in Genetic Resource Use, Management and Benefit Sharing • Marketing local genetic resources through processing, value addition and labeling(geographical origin) e.g. Mustang Apple • Making aware of the implications of WTO/TRIPS and UPOV etc on Farmers Rights and their Livelihood

11. Grass Roots Strategies • How Community Biodiversity Registration (CBR) can be linked to documentation and protection of local genetic resources and traditional knowledge ? • How community seed bank can be linked to enhancing local level access to genetic resources and conservation of endangered genetic resources? • How PPB can be used as a strategies for in situ conservation, farmers’ capacity to access GRs and providing benefits to resource poor farmers ?

12. Grass roots Strategies • How to obtain prior informed consent (PIC) of the local communities in accessing genetic resources for research and bioprospecting? • How to create and promote public awareness among farmers about the implications of the WTO/TRIPS and UPOV regimes to their rights to seed, traditional knowledge, benefit sharing and participation in decision making • How to undertake capacity building and grass root strengthening of CBOs and farming communities to enhance participation in national GR decision making

13. Grass root Strategies & Initiatives:1. Community Biodiversity Register CBR started in Nepal in early 2000 by In Situ Agrobiodiversity Project (NARC/LIBIRD/IPGRI) • Documentation of local genetic resources and indigenous knowledge • Create awareness and sense of peoples’ ownership on local genetic resources y i

14. Grass root Strategies & Initiatives:1. Community Biodiversity Register • Documentation and transferring knowledge from old generation to young • Strengthen access of seed and other genetic materials and information

15. Grass roots Strategies & Initiatives2. Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) • Farmers involvement in selection and crossing of germplasm (breeding) • Enhancing farmers’ skills in plant breeding, variety selection and promotion • Enhances access to GRs and provides options for benefits sharing

16. 3. Community Seed Banks • Initiation of community seed bank to enhance access, exchange, use and management of locally valuable, unique and endangered genetic resources Community Seed Bank, Kachorwa, Bara

17. Capacity Building of CBOs and farmers • Enhancing capacity of the farming communities by organizing in the groups and cooperatives (e.g. ADCS, Pratighya) • Enhancing capacity of CBOs through market linkages & development of market networks at the local level e.g. Gunilo; Pratigha farmer co-operative and women farmers’ groups in saving-credit in Bara • Enhancing capacities of the communities in articulating their views through exposure visits and making participation in national workshops and fora

18. Farmers’ Participation in Decision Making on GR Conservation and Use • Involvement of farmers’ in grass roots plant breeding, community conservation, community biodiversity registration and seed banks, Biodiversity Fairs, Diversity Blocks etc. • Making aware of their rights to genetic resources and indigenous knowledge through grass roots trainings, debates, discussions and mass media • Farmers Representation in local and national Fora, Committees and Project Management to enhance their decisions making process • Farmers involvement in negotiation for access to and equitable sharing of benefits

19. Niche Marketing & Value Addition of Local Genetic Resources Sharing and Providing benefits to farmers through value addition and niche market development Niche marketing with particular geographical origin (Begnas Maseura) Market linkage & marketing of local Anadi rice

20. Issues and Purposed Actions for Ensuring Farmers’ Rights related to Access, Benefit Sharing and Participation in Decision Making • How to empower farming communities in Genetic Resources Use and Management ? • How to develop grass roots level practical options for access to and benefit sharing of agricultural biodiversity with farming community ? • How to implement “Farmers’ Rights” on GR in reality?: What are the Institutional Mechanisms for Implementing Farmers’ Rights?