Options for financial contributions

About this category of options

Contracting Party have agreed to take measures to protect and promote Farmers’ Rights, including the right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilization of PGRFA (Art. 9.2b). It is also stated in the Preamble that rights recognized in Treaty, including the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits, are fundamental to the realization of Farmers’ Rights.

Financial contributions to support farmers’ activities for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA as well as contributions to benefit-sharing funds may thus be possibilities for Contracting Parties and stakeholders to work in this direction. Depending on how they are set up, such measures could also be understood as a way of expressing recognition for farmers’ and farming communities’ activities for the conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA (Art. 9.1).

Depending on how measures under this category are set up, other provisions of Art. 9 may also be relevant.

There are two options:

• Option 2A: Provide funds for farmers, farming communities and their organizations who conserve, develop and sustainably use PGRFA, including for capacity development.
• Option 2B: Contribute voluntarily to the Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) of the International Treaty.