Main description:

Plant genetic resources (PGR) for food and agriculture are the basis of world food security. Access by farmers and plant breeders everywhere to the widest possible range of plant germplasm is of crucial importance for crop improvement, for confronting environmental and agricultural challenges such as climate change, and for ensuring economic and social development as well as food security for a world population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050. In this context, the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) adopted the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture ('the Treaty') on 3 November 2001, following seven years of negotiations. The Treaty, which came into force on 29 June 2004, establishes a binding international framework for the conservation and sustainable use of PGR for food and agriculture, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use. As of 1 April 2013, the Treaty had been ratified by 127 states