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Farmers’ Rights Consultation
We herewith invite you to participate in global consultations on Farmers’ Rights as these are addressed in Article 9 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (also called the Plant Treaty; see www.planttreaty.org). The background for these consultations is a decision made by the Governing Body of the Plant Treaty at its third session (Resolution 6/2009). Here the Governing Body recalls the importance of fully implementing Farmers’ Rights, and, among other things, requests the Secretariat to convene regional workshops on Farmers’ Rights to discuss relevant national experiences. The Fridtjof Nansen Institute (www.fni.no) in Norway is assisting the Secretariat in carrying out this task. Funding is limited, so we begin by carrying out consultations via e-mail, in order to involve as many stakeholders as possible, in all parts of the world. The e-mail consultations have been made possible thanks to support from SwedBio of Sweden and the Development Fund, Norway. We are still trying to raise the funds necessary to hold a consultation conference towards the end of the year, which will then be global, with regional components. The results of the global consultation process will be presented to the Governing Body of the Plant Treaty at its Fourth Session in 2011, as a basis for its deliberations on promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights at the national level.
The following questionnaire is designed to obtain information in the context of Resolution 6/2009 of the Governing Body and to facilitate discussions at the consultation conference. The Secretariat will follow this process and provide information to Contracting Parties accordingly.
Please distribute this questionnaire to organizations and individuals engaged in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and farmers’ rights – in your own country and abroad. We would also be grateful if all those who are working with farmers take this opportunity to distribute the questionnaire among them, or to convene group consultations among farmers to complete the questionnaire collectively, if appropriate, and send it to us.
We sincerely hope that you will take the time to complete this questionnaire to the best of your capacity, and return it to us.
The final deadline for submission of this questionnaire is 31 August 2010.
Please e-mail the questionnaire to email hidden; JavaScript is required or as fax to (+47) 67 11 19 10.
We will publish the results of this e-mail based part of the consultation by the beginning of November 2010 in the form of a report, with the responses presented region-wise. For more information please visit the website of the Farmers’ Rights Project of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute at (www.farmersrights.org) or contact Tone Winge (email hidden; JavaScript is required).
Oslo, Norway 6 July 2010
Sincerely yours,
(sign.)
Regine Andersen,
Senior Research Fellow and
Director of the Farmers’ Rights Project
Fridtjof Nansen Institute
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
English: http://dgroups.org/?56n6yhjx
French: http://dgroups.org/?fmcgl3nf
Spanish: http://dgroups.org/?tm9assp9
ABOUT THE TREATY AND THE CONSULTATION
English: http://www.farmersrights.org/about/fr_in_itpgrfa_7.html
French: http://www.farmersrights.org/FR/concernant_traite4.html
Spanish: http://www.farmersrights.org/ES/acerca_tratado4.html
We herewith invite you to participate in global consultations on Farmers’ Rights as these are addressed in Article 9 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (also called the Plant Treaty; see www.planttreaty.org). The background for these consultations is a decision made by the Governing Body of the Plant Treaty at its third session (Resolution 6/2009). Here the Governing Body recalls the importance of fully implementing Farmers’ Rights, and, among other things, requests the Secretariat to convene regional workshops on Farmers’ Rights to discuss relevant national experiences. The Fridtjof Nansen Institute (www.fni.no) in Norway is assisting the Secretariat in carrying out this task. Funding is limited, so we begin by carrying out consultations via e-mail, in order to involve as many stakeholders as possible, in all parts of the world. The e-mail consultations have been made possible thanks to support from SwedBio of Sweden and the Development Fund, Norway. We are still trying to raise the funds necessary to hold a consultation conference towards the end of the year, which will then be global, with regional components. The results of the global consultation process will be presented to the Governing Body of the Plant Treaty at its Fourth Session in 2011, as a basis for its deliberations on promoting the realization of Farmers’ Rights at the national level.
The following questionnaire is designed to obtain information in the context of Resolution 6/2009 of the Governing Body and to facilitate discussions at the consultation conference. The Secretariat will follow this process and provide information to Contracting Parties accordingly.
We hope that you can distribute this questionnaire to organizations and individuals engaged in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and farmers’ rights – in your own country and abroad. We would also be grateful if all those who are working with farmers take this opportunity to distribute the questionnaire among them, or to convene group consultations among farmers to complete the questionnaire collectively, if appropriate, and send it to us.
We sincerely hope that you will take the time to complete this questionnaire to the best of your capacity, and return it to us.
The final deadline for submission of this questionnaire is 31 August 2010.
Please e-mail the questionnaire to email hidden; JavaScript is required or as fax to (+47) 67 11 19 10.
We will publish the results of this e-mail based part of the consultation by the beginning of November 2010 in the form of a report, with the responses presented region-wise. For more information please visit the website of the Farmers’ Rights Project of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute at (www.farmersrights.org).
Oslo, Norway 6 July 2010
Sincerely yours,
(sign.)
Regine Andersen,
Senior Research Fellow and
Director of the Farmers’ Rights Project
Fridtjof Nansen Institute
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
English: http://dgroups.org/?56n6yhjx
French: http://dgroups.org/?fmcgl3nf
Spanish: http://dgroups.org/?tm9assp9
ABOUT THE TREATY AND THE CONSULTATION
English: http://www.farmersrights.org/about/fr_in_itpgrfa_7.html
French: http://www.farmersrights.org/FR/concernant_traite4.html
Spanish: http://www.farmersrights.org/ES/acerca_tratado4.html
Hannah Jaenicke says Good-bye
Dear friends and colleagues,
After 4.5 years at the helm of ICUC, now CFF, it is now time to say good-bye to the many friends and supporters of underutilized crops and the organisation itself. Over the past years, we have been able to raise the profile of underutilized crops worldwide considerably, although a lot more remains to be done. The most important achievement of the past years is the creation of Crops for the Future from a merger of the International Centre for Underutilized Crops and the Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species. This new entity will assist in further increasing the profile of underutilized crops for food security, nutrition and health and environmental sustainability. It will be in good and experienced hands with Dr Michael Hermann, the incoming Global Coordinator of Crops for the Future. With the changes in leadership comes also a change in location. From 1 April 2010 onwards, Crops for the Future will be hosted by Bioversity International, at their Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania, in Serdang, Malaysia. I wish to take this opportunity to explicitly thank the International Water Management Institute for their cordial hosting of ICUC/Crops for the Future for the past 5 years in Sri Lanka. I also wish to thank the members of the Scientific Advisory Board of ICUC and later CFF Board of Directors: Prof. George Rothschild, Dr Ruth Oniang’o, Dr N.G. Hegde, Mr John Palmer, Prof. Frank Rijsberman and Dr Colin Chartres, for their guidance and support. Last but not least, we could not have managed to achieve what we have without the support of the many research and development partners around the world to whom I say an especially warm thank you.
With best wishes,
Dr Hannah Jaenicke
The new coordinates of Crops for the Future are:
2nd International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species
We are delighted to announce the 2nd International Symposium on Underutilised Plant Species entitled “Crops for the Future – Beyond Food Security” to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 27th June – 1st July 2011.
Here you can find the first circular with preliminary information about the symposium. Further information including registration, keynote speakers, venue and accommodation will follow shortly.
The Symposium website will be live shortly.
FOR ENQUIRIES AND CORRESPONDENCE
Secretariat: Underutilised Plants Symposium 2011
Crops for the Future – beyond food security
The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
Tel: +6 (03) 8924 8218
Fax: +6 (03) 8924 8018
Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required
or email hidden; JavaScript is required
2010 AWARD Fellowships call for applications
The CGIAR Gender and Diversity Programme calls for applications for its 2010 AWARD Fellowship scheme. The call is open to nationals from:
Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, who are working in the fields of:
Agricultural economics, Agricultural engineering, Agronomy, Animal and livestock sciences, Aquatic resources and fisheries, Biodiversity conservation, Crop sciences, Ecology, Entomology, Extension education, Food sciences and nutrition, Forestry and agroforestry, Horticulture, Molecular biology (plant/animal breeding), Natural resources management, Plant/animal virology, Soil sciences, Veterinary sciences and Water and irrigation management.
The deadline for all applications is 22 March 2010.
Details and application forms can be downloaded from: http://www.genderdiversity.cgiar.org/resource/award.asp
Application forms can also be obtained by writing to: email hidden; JavaScript is required
“Fruits for nutrition, poverty reduction and environment”
International Conference held at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh 30-31 March 2010. Please find the Conference Announcement here.
Adaptive Management Course in Ghana 18 October-5 November 2010
From Nico Rozemeijer, Senior advisor Collaborative Natural Resources Management and Rural Development, Centre for Development Innovation, Wageningen UR:
I would like to draw your attention to the upcoming short course on Adaptive Management in Ghana from 18 October – 5 November 2010. It seems far away but the deadline for applying for fellowships is June the first, and responding early never hurts… [Please find the course announcement with further information here.
Dr Hannah Jaenicke is moving on
Dr Hannah Jaenicke is moving on from Crops for the Future on 31 March. Statement from John Palmer and George Rothschild on behalf of interim governing body for Crops for the Future. [Read the Statement here]
International Horticultural Congress 2010
The International Horticultural Congress 2010 will take place 22-27 August 2010 in Lisbon, Portugal. The event features seminars, workshops, symposia, colloquia and other sessions. There are several events of great interest to the underutilized plant community, for example Symposium S12 on Genetic Resources, Seminar SM08 on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Symposium S07 FAV-Health, Workshop WS10 on Minor and underutilized tropical and subtropical fruits for nutritional security in the XXI century… The revised abstract submission deadline is 31 January 2010.
Please check out http://www.ihc2010.org for more information and the abstract submission tool.
Famine Foods
From Robert Freedman, Tucson, Arizona:
I am doing ethnobotanical research on a little-known category of underutilized plants – Specifically, the data I am coordinating documents food plants used throughout the world, during periods of drought-induced famine and food scarcity. These data are accessible, on the Web, at: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/FamineFoods/ff_home.html
My intention, in coordinating these data, is to provide a resource, of proven drought-resistant food plants, some of which, because of known high nutrient content, have a potential for improvement, that would make possible the development of new crops, for populations relying on non-indigenous and environmentally at-risk spp.. This idea is articulated further, on the Web, at ‘Notes on the Famine Food Web Site’: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/FamineFoods/faminefoods.html
Based on what is known of those famine food plants, which have been analyzed in the laboratory, these data also provide a large corpus of spp.., still in need of nutritional analysis, to ascertain which may have nexpectedly high nutritional values and thereby become candidates for growth trials and selection. I would like to contact other specialists, who have an interest in arid land subsistence; and development of underutilized food plants. If you could suggest any individuals and organizations whom I can contact, I will be most appreciative.
For more information please contact Bob Freedman at email hidden; JavaScript is required
