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| International Seed Treaty | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Seed Treaty |
| Long name | International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture |
| Type | Multilateral environmental agreement |
| Signed | 2001 |
| Parties | 150+ |
| Depositor | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
International Seed Treaty
The International Seed Treaty is a multilateral agreement focused on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It creates a framework for conservation, exchange, and sustainable use of seeds and genetic materials and establishes benefit-sharing mechanisms among states, research institutes, and farming communities.
The Treaty links to a network of institutions including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It interfaces with regional bodies such as the African Union, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Organization of American States. It references scientific organizations such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, the Bioversity International, and national bodies like the United States Department of Agriculture, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Academic partners include the University of California, Davis, the Wageningen University, the University of Queensland, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It is relevant to actors such as Greenpeace, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Seed Federation, and farmer organizations like the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.
Negotiations drew on precedents from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Trade Organization, and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Early diplomatic work involved conferences at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters and consultations with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Interim Committee and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Key negotiation phases included meetings in Rome, the Rio de Janeiro Summit legacy, and interactions with negotiators from India, Mexico, Kenya, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Norway, United Kingdom, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Philippines, Nepal, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Italy. Civil society input came from La Via Campesina, Oxfam, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stakeholders, and representatives of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault community. Adoption involved ratification procedures in national parliaments such as the Lok Sabha, the Bundestag, the Congress of the United States, and the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil).
The Treaty aims to conserve and sustainably use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and to ensure fair and equitable benefit-sharing with farmers and breeders. It applies to a list of crops and forages linked to the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research genebanks, the International Rice Research Institute, the CIMMYT, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, the International Potato Center, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and regional genebanks like the NordGen and the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical. The scope intersects with intellectual property regimes including the World Intellectual Property Organization, national patent offices like the European Patent Office, and sui generis systems in countries such as Switzerland and Philippines.
Governance structures include the Conference of the Parties, the Governing Body of the Treaty, and subsidiary bodies that interact with the Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Treaty collaborates with funding mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility and the Global Crop Diversity Trust. It works with research consortia like The Rockefeller Foundation-funded initiatives, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation programs, and networks such as the Global Crop Diversity Trust partners. Regional coordination includes links to the CGIAR system, the African Union Commission, the Asia-Pacific Regional Initiatives, and intergovernmental platforms like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Central mechanisms include a Multilateral System for access and benefit-sharing, a Standard Material Transfer Agreement, and a benefit-sharing fund supporting conservation and farmers’ rights. The Multilateral System covers Annex I crops and forages similar to collections in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and national genebanks such as the National Plant Gene Bank of India, the United States National Plant Germplasm System, and the Brazilian Active Germplasm Bank. The Standard Material Transfer Agreement draws on models used by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Interim Committee and harmonizes with policies from the European Commission and national ministries like the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (India). Benefit-sharing mechanisms interact with organizations such as the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and regional development banks including the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Implementation is effected through national focal points, legislative measures in parliaments like the Sejm and the Knesset, and implementation projects run by institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute, CIMMYT, Bioversity International, and ICARDA. Compliance mechanisms include reporting cycles to the Governing Body, peer review processes similar to those in the World Trade Organization and technical assistance from agencies like the FAO and UN Environment Programme. Capacity-building collaborations involve universities such as Cornell University, University of Melbourne, and Peking University, and NGOs including Conservation International and Wetlands International.
The Treaty has influenced plant breeding programs at Syngenta, Bayer, Monsanto, Corteva Agriscience, and DuPont and informed national policies in India, Brazil, China, Mexico, and Ethiopia. Supporters point to enhanced access to genetic materials for the CGIAR centers and farmers’ organizations such as La Via Campesina. Critics from groups like Friends of the Earth and some academics at Harvard University and University of Oxford cite complexities in benefit-sharing, tensions with the World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization regimes, and disputes over in situ conservation involving indigenous peoples represented by United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues delegates. Controversies involve seed sovereignty debates in cases linked to national disputes in Kenya, Nepal, Philippines, and legal challenges in courts like the European Court of Justice and national constitutional courts including the Supreme Court of India.