8 million people die from lack of food and nutrition every year .

Every year, 5.8 million children die from hunger related-causes.

For the first time in history, over 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat. Thats one sixth of humanity (2008).

There are around one billion hungry people in the world.

642M- Asia and the Pacific 265M-Sub-Saharan Africa 53M-Latin America and Carribean 42M-Near East and North Africa

The number of undernourished people in the world increased by 75 million in 2007 and 40 million in 2008, largely due to higher food prices.

Definition of Terms History What is it about? Objectives Members Farmers Rights Multilateral System Beneficiaries

 Plant genetic resources- consist of genotypes or population of land races, advanced cultivars, genetic stocks, wild and weedy species which are maintained in the form of seeds, plants, tissues etc. Multilateral System- system involving more than two parties or countries.

 In situ conservation- means the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings and, in the case of domesticated or cultivated plant species, in the surroundings where they have developed their distinctive properties. Ex situ conservation- means the conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture outside their natural habitat.

 1983- Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was established, and the voluntary International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources was adopted. 1996- adoption of the Global Plan of Action at the Leipzig International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources. 2001- culmination of all these works with the historic adoption of the legally binding International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. 29 June 2004- the Treaty entered into force.

 recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed the world; establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials; ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials with the countries where they have been originated.

 Article 26 -ratification, acceptance or approval by the Members and non-Members of FAO. Article 27-open for accession by all Members of FAO and any States that are not Members of FAO but are Members of the United Nations, or any of its specialized agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The current number of Contracting Parties as well as the type of instrument used and the date can be consulted in the Legal Office of FAO.

Parties: 127

Source: http://www.fao.org/Legal/treaties/033s-e.htm

This Treaty relates to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. (Annex 1)

Each Contracting Party shall ensure the conformity of its laws, regulations and procedures with its obligations as provided in this Treaty.

5.1- ... promote an integrated approach to the exploration, conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

5.2- ... take steps to minimize or, if possible, eliminate threats to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

 Promote in situ conservation of wild crop relatives and wild plants for food production, including in protected areas. Survey and inventory plant genetic resources for food and agriculture... Cooperate to promote the development of an efficient and sustainable system of ex situ conservation..

 pursuing fair agricultural policies... strengthening research which enhances and conserves biological diversity... promoting plant breeding efforts with the participation of farmers..

 The protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; The right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; and The right to participate in making decisions...

 ..to access and benefit-sharing is its declaration that 64 of our most important crops.. ..countries agree to make their genetic diversity and related information about the crops stored in their gene banks available to all..

 this gives scientific institutions and private sector plant breeders the opportunity to work with, and potentially to improve, the materials stored in gene banks or even crops growing in fields. ..sets up opportunities for developed countries with technical know-how to use their laboratories to build on what the farmers in developing countries have accomplished in their fields.

Present and future generations Farmers and their communities Consumers The scientific community International Agricultural Research Centres, Both the public and private sectors The environment, and future generations

http://www.planttreaty.org http://www.fao.org/Legal/treaties/033s-e.htm http://www.farmersrights.org/faq/index.html http://www.parc.gov.pk/Faq/pgrp.html www.grain.org www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation 101 Facts You Should Know About Food, Icon Books 2007 The Food Crisis, Ian Angus. www.socialistproject.ca www.viacampesina.org