This is an ongoing project (subject to renewal every three years) financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Food to implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) within Italy. The treaty has a remit over all reproduction material: seed, cuttings, bulbs, rhizomes, tubers, scion material and deals with access to genetic material, recognition of the contribution of farmers to crop diversity and the need to share equitably any benefits deriving from the use of genetic materials (art 5.), with the sustainable use of genetic resources (art. 6) and with farmers’ rights (art. 9).
To implement the treaty within Italy, a range of national and regional institutions and organisations are involved. As part of the network, Rete Semi Rurali has been playing an active part since 2008, with the following responsibilities:
- information and dissemination activities on the topic genetic resources and related issues;
- Italian implementation of article 6 on sustainable use of genetic resources;
- providing expertise and support to the national delegation engaged at the international level on agrobiodiversity matters.
The members of the network (distributed CREA institutes , CNR and RSR) meet every year to measure progress, including the outcomes of the practical activities carried out by the Rete Semi Rurali.
Over the years, RSR has undertaken two special collaborations on evolutionary populations. With CREA Bergamo, we have been working since 2016 on participatory plant breeding of corn. Shortly afterwards, we started a collaboration with CREA Monsampolo del Tronto on vegetables breeding.
URS: http://planta-res.politicheagricole.it/pages/project.php
Project duration: ongoing project, renewed on a three year basis 2004-2006 (RSR non involved), 2007-2009 (RSR since 2008), 2010-2012, 2013-2015, 2016-2018, 2019-2021
Report from Italy to FAO 2019: http://www.fao.org/3/ca4535en/ca4535en.pdf
