About this category of options

Contracting Parties to the International Treaty have agreed that the responsibility for realizing Farmers’ Rights, as they relate to PGRFA, rests with national governments. Each Contracting Party should, as appropriate, and subject to its national legislation, take measures to protect and promote Farmers’ Rights (Art. 9.2). Several measures of Farmers’ Rights are suggested, including the protection of traditional knowledge relevant to PGRFA, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization, and the right to participate in making decisions, at the national level, on related matters (Art. 9.2a-c). Rights that farmers have to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed/propagating material are referred to in Art. 9.3.

To implement the commitments they have made under international agreements, governments of Contracting Parties may consider reviewing and, as appropriate, adjusting existing national law, or creating new law, in accordance with their priorities and needs. In that process, Contracting Parties may want to assess and consider needs of rightsholders, including farmers, indigenous and local communities, in cases where they are directly affected by such legal measures.

There are five options: