Farmers' Rights in relation to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture include the right of smallholder farmers to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed and other propagating material; participate in decision-making and protect traditional knowledge, innovation and practices relevant for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

 

Community seed banks are an important tool to implement Farmers' Rights.Through community seed banks smallholder farmers can save, exchange and sell seeds from their own crops; document traditional knowledge, innovation and practices; and decide how to conserve and use their plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. 

 

Further information on the importance of community seed banks as tools implementing Farmers' Rights is included in the capacity building material by GFAR on Farmers' Rights developed for Guatemala and Malawi.

 

A video on community seed banks for smallholder farmers and decision makers, on behalf of Bioversity International and whose original idea was of Souleymane Ouattara, is available on GFAR YouTube channel.