At its Tenth Session in 2023, the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) decided to reconvene the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Farmers’ Rights (AHTEG-FR) — originally established at its Seventh Session in 2017 — to advance the implementation of Article 9 of the Treaty. The Expert Group for the biennium 2023 – 2025 was mandated to: (1) review and agree to the outline for the assessment of the state of implementation of Article 9 of the International Treaty; (2) review the assessment itself and provide conclusions for consideration at the Eleventh Session of the Governing Body (GB-11); and (3) provide advice to GB-11 on how the use of Options for encouraging, guiding and promoting the realization of Farmers’ Righst (the Options), as contained in the Annex to Resolution 7/2022 for the implementation of Article 9 of the International Treaty, can be promoted.

In response to this mandate, the AHTEG-FR held its Fifth meeting from 24 to 26 June 2024, and its Sixth meeting from 23 to 26 June 2025, both in Rome, Italy. These sessions contributed decisively to strengthening the evidence base and strategic direction for the implementation of Article 9. Key outcomes included the finalization of the first global assessment of the implementation of Farmers’ Rights and the development of a Draft Strategy for the Use of the Options — both of which will inform decisions at GB-11, which will in turn guide future national and international efforts.

The First Global Assessment of Farmers’ Rights Implementation: A Foundation for Strategic Action

A major outcome of the inter-sessional process was the preparation of the first global assessment of the implementation of Article 9 on Farmers’ Rights under the Treaty. This landmark assessment—based on the outline agreed at the fifth meeting of the AHTEG and substantially refined through expert input at its sixth meeting—provides, for the first time, an evidence-based overview of the current state of implementation of Farmers’ Rights, key achievements, and challenges.

At the Fifth meeting, the Expert Group provided strategic guidance and formally endorsed the assessment outline, enabling the Secretariat to initiate its execution. In accordance with the Expert Group guidance, the assessment drew upon multiple data sources, including 97 national reports submitted under the Third Cycle of the Treaty’s monitoring system; a global multistakeholder survey conducted between December 2024 and January 2025, which received 233 responses from stakeholders across 91 countries; and the Inventory of national measures, best practices, and lessons learned from the realization of Farmers’ Rights, as set out in Article 9 of the International Treaty (the Inventory).

The draft assessment presented to the Expert Group began with an overview of the history of Farmers’ Rights, followed by a detailed description of the methodology, data sources, and limitations. It then presented an executive summary of key regional findings, while recognizing intra-regional variations. The analysis is organised along the core elements of Article 9: (1) the right to save, use, exchange, and sell farm-saved seed; (2) participation in decision-making processes; (3) equitable sharing of benefits; (4) protection of traditional knowledge; and (5) recognition of the contributions that local and indigenous communities and farmers from all regions have made—and continue to make—to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).

Findings indicated notable progress in several areas, including the legal recognition of Farmers’ Rights in certain regions, increased awareness and understanding of these rights, and enhanced engagement by farmer organizations and civil society. However, the draft assessment also highlighted ongoing challenges—particularly in establishing robust legal protections for farmer-managed seed systems, developing and implementing effective policies and regulatory frameworks for the realization of Farmers’ Rights, securing equitable benefit-sharing, and facilitating inclusive, participatory decision-making.

ATHEG-FR provided, at its Sixth meeting, extensive comments and input for the finalisation of the assessment to be presented at GB-11 in Peru in November 2025. Thereby it will serve as a critical baseline for future actions, including to the implementation of the Strategy for the Use of the Options.

From Options to Strategy: A New Framework for Implementation

Following the Governing Body’s endorsement of the Options at its Ninth Session (GB-9), the Fifth AHTEG-FR meeting initiated the development of a list of potential activities to promote their implementation. The Expert Group requested the Secretariat to consolidate these proposals into a preliminary draft strategy, which was further refined at the Sixth meeting.

At the Sixth meeting, the Expert Group conducted a comprehensive review of the draft strategy, providing detailed inputs and recommendations. The resulting draft includes a dedicated Action Plan for 2026–2029, annexed to the Strategy, and establishes a practical, inclusive framework to effectively guide implementation efforts.

The draft Strategy provided guidance for the implementation of the Options categorised in six thematic areas:

  1. Recognition, awards, and designation of Ambassadors for Farmers’ Rights;
  2. Training and capacity building;
  3. Communication and awareness raising;
  4. Programmes, initiatives, and projects;
  5. Provision of technical assistance;
  6. Reference to policy development.

Furthermore, the Draft Strategy stressed the need to enhances engagement with key stakeholder groups, with particular emphasis on youth, indigenous peoples, and local communities. Its development has been guided by principles of inclusiveness, transparency, and practicality, aiming to provide a flexible instrument that contracting parties and organizations can adapt to their specific contexts.

The Expert Group provided substantive input for finalization of the draft Strategy, for it to be submitted to GB-11 for formal consideration and potential endorsement.

Looking Ahead

During the Sixth meeting, the Secretariat underscored the importance of planned regional consultations and the second global symposium on Farmers’ Rights to take place in the Philippines, both scheduled ahead of GB-11.

At the Fifth and Sixth meetings of AHTEG-FR, the Secretariat and members of AHTEG-FR emphasized the ongoing need for multistakeholder engagement, capacity-building, and cross-sector collaboration to translate commitments into effective action. At the Sixth meeting, members of AHTEG-FR also highlighted the importance of the negotiations of the upcoming Fourteenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-endend Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System in July 2025 in Peru, particularly regarding benefit-sharing and digital sequence information (DSI), which, depending on decisions at GB-11 are expected to significantly impact the realization of Farmers’ Rights.

The results of this inter-sessional process—the Global Assessment and the Strategy—may serve as key tools for the international community in advancing the implementation of Article 9.

 

Text: Viviana Meixner Vásquez