Case 7. Food Biodiversity Conservation — CBCGDF Promotes China to Join ITPGRFA

To join the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is not only aligned with China's development vision but also contributes to enhancing China's influence on global genetic resources and agriculture. To this end, CBCGDF, after collecting abundant information, finished the draft proposal of suggestions on China joining ITPGRFA to Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). CBCGDF invited experts to evaluate the proposal and improve it. The Proposal of Suggestion China Joining ITPGRFA was submitted by Mr. Xie Boyang, member of CPPCC, head of CBCGDF and former Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. On December 29, 2017, CBCGDF received the reply to the proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture.

As a leading social organization dedicated to biodiversity conservation and green development, CBCGDF believes that plant genetic resources protection for food and agriculture, the key topic of biodiversity conservation, should receive more attention. It is of great significance to protect the genetic resource biodiversity of food and agriculture for its important role in sustainable agriculture, food security and human welfare.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) was adopted by the FAO conference in November 2001 and came into effect in 2004. ITPGRFA starts its objectives to be “the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use”, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity.

At the seventh session of the Governing Body of the ITPGRFA held on October 30, 2017, CBCGDF was approved as the observer of ITPGRFA.

ITPGRFA recognizes the contributions that local farming and indigenous communities have made. It contributes to a global system which makes plant genetic materials available to farmers and scientist and makes sure that the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their use. By April 2019, the number of ITPGRFA member has reached 145, which includes both developed and developing countries, such as America, German, Canada, India, and Cambodia. China has not joined the ITPGRFA yet.

By / Wang Yanqing