2 May 2016: A special issue of ‘Farming Matters,’ produced in collaboration with Bioversity International, shares examples of access and benefit-sharing (ABS) systems from several countries, exploring the interface between formal and informal systems, challenges, and relevance for family farmers.

Edited by Robin Pistorius, Janneke Bruil and Ronnie Vernooy and titled, ‘Access and benefit sharing of genetic resources – Making it work for family farmers,’ the publication presents cases that demonstrate the limited extent to which family farmers have benefited from the “formal” ABS process; uncovers some of the effective informal principles and mechanisms for ABS that are part and parcel of farmers’ everyday practices, such as community seed banks; and highlights cases of successful collaboration between researchers and farmers, some of which link with the formal ABS system.

With specific reference to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR), the special issue shares perspectives and stories from Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Iran the Netherlands and Zimbabwe, among several other countries. [Bioversity International Press Release] [Publication: Farming Matters: Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources – Making it Work for Family Farmers]