24 September 2013: The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has presented two new sets of information technology tools designed to support implementation of the Treaty by facilitating the transfer of seeds and other genetic material and enhancing their management at the national level. The presentations took place alongside the Fifth Session of the Governing Body of the ITPGR held in Muscat, Oman, from 24-28 September 2013.

The first set of tools, ‘Easy-SMTA,’ was created to help users of the multilateral system produce legal contracts in a simple, online system. The second set was designed to help manage plant genetic resources by producing maps and ecogeographical analyses.

The Government of Spain provided financial and technical support to develop the tools as part of the ITPGR’s Capacity Building Program in Support of National Plant Genetic Resources Programs (CAPFITOGEN). [ITPGR Press Release] [CAPFITOGEN Website]