The History of Farmers' Rights - Fridtjof Nansens Institutt

16 Regine Andersen
The CBD was opened for signing at the UN Conference on Environment
and Development in Rio in 1992, and entered into force 29 December
1993. However, the text of the CBD had been adopted in Nairobi in May
1992 in the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the
Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this context, a
resolution on the interrelationship between the CBD and the promotion of
sustainable agriculture was adopted on 22 May (Resolution 3). This resolution
deals particularly with the importance of plant genetic resources for
food and agriculture, and urges that ways and means be explored to develop
complementarity and cooperation between the CBD and the Global
System for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Sustainable Agriculture (ibid, paragraph 2), which
was established under FAO and of which the International Undertaking
was a central component. Finally, the resolution recognizes the need to
seek solutions to two outstanding matters concerning plant genetic resources,
one of which is ‘the question of farmers’ rights’ (ibid, paragraph
4).
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, 3–14 June 1992: Agenda 21. Available online at:
www.
un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21toc.htm
Agenda 21 was adopted at UN Conference on Environment and Development
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992, as a dynamic programme, to
be carried out by various actors according to the differing situations, capacities
and priorities of countries and regions (Preamble, paragraph 1.6).
Chapter 14 of Agenda 21 addresses the promotion of sustainable agriculture
and rural development. In this context, it deals with the conservation
and sustainable utilization of crop genetic resources (section G). These
resources are essential to meet future needs for food, it states; and the
primary objective for action is to safeguard the world’s genetic resources
while preserving them for sustainable use. Several necessary measures
towards this end are listed, and actions to be taken by governments are
indicated. Furthermore, the appropriate UN agencies and regional organizations
are requested to take action in this regard (ibid, paragraph
14.60.a):
Strengthen the Global System on the Conservation and Sustainable
Use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture by, inter
alia, accelerating the development of the Global Information and
Early Warning System to facilitate the exchange of information;
developing ways to promote the transfer of environmentally sound
technologies, in particular to developing countries; and taking
further steps to realize farmers’ rights.
In other words, the CBD and the Agenda 21 call on FAO to strengthen its
work for the sustainable management of crop genetic resources, including
the realization of farmers’ rights. No indication is given with regard to the
content of farmers’ rights, however.