July 2014: The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) has circulated a new set of capacity-building materials on farmers’ rights, designed to support small-holder farmer leaders and decision-makers. The six booklets are published in Spanish.

The booklets have been developed by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, the Collaborative Programme of Participatory Plant Breeding in Mesoamerica, and the Foundation for Agricultural Technological and Forestry Innovation (FUNDIT). The introductory booklet presents general information about the material; while the rest focus on: basic concepts on farmers’ rights; ways of implementation of farmers’ rights; the recognition of the rights of indigenous and local communities on natural resources and traditional knowledge in international instruments; the recognition of farmers’ rights in the ITPGR; and a case study illustrating the implementation of farmers’ rights in the national legislation of Guatemala. [ITPGR News Release]