The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is the major international agreement through which countries cooperate to conserve, sustainably use and manage plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, for the benefit of present and future generations. The International Treaty facilitates access for farmers, researchers and plant breeders to the genetic diversity needed to develop new crop varieties, including those with higher yields and greater resilience to climate change, pests and diseases.
It provides a global response to the loss of crop diversity and the challenges of climate change adaptation through mechanisms such as the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit sharing and the Benefit sharing Fund. The Multilateral System currently covers 64 of the world’s most important food crops, which together account for approximately 80 percent of human food consumption derived from plants.
Through the International Treaty, the genetic resources of the world’s major food crops—often described as a life insurance policy for food production—are conserved, managed and exchanged by countries and other stakeholders according to agreed international rules.
The deposit
The deposit to the Arctic World Archive (AWA) includes the official text of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, preserved in fourteen languages.
It also includes four testimonial stories illustrating how the International Treaty delivers concrete benefits to farmers and researchers around the world. Drawn from experiences in Peru, India, Serbia and Pacific Island countries, these stories illustrate the longterm value of international cooperation in conserving plant genetic resources, supporting food security and sustainable agriculture, and safeguarding traditional knowledge. Together, they demonstrate how the International Treaty connects data, science and policy, transforming information into shared knowledge that can be understood, applied and passed on across regions, cultures and generations.
Read more about the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/en/
