Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective
Plant breeders develop competitive, high-yielding, resistant crop varieties that can cope with the challenges of biotic stresses and tolerate abiotic stresses, resulting in nutritious food for consumers worldwide. To achieve this, plant breeders need continuous and easy access to plant genetic resou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/16/2992 |
| _version_ | 1797583405692485632 |
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| author | Andreas W. Ebert Johannes M. M. Engels Roland Schafleitner Theo van Hintum Godfrey Mwila |
| author_facet | Andreas W. Ebert Johannes M. M. Engels Roland Schafleitner Theo van Hintum Godfrey Mwila |
| author_sort | Andreas W. Ebert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant breeders develop competitive, high-yielding, resistant crop varieties that can cope with the challenges of biotic stresses and tolerate abiotic stresses, resulting in nutritious food for consumers worldwide. To achieve this, plant breeders need continuous and easy access to plant genetic resources (PGR) for trait screening, to generate new diversity that can be built into newly improved varieties. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Nagoya Protocol recognised the sovereign rights of countries over their genetic resources. Under the CBD/Nagoya Protocol, countries are free to establish specific national legislations regulating germplasm access and benefit-sharing to be negotiated bilaterally. Consequently, access to PGR became increasingly restricted and cumbersome, resulting in a decrease in germplasm exchange. The ITPGRFA attempted to ease this situation by establishing a globally harmonised multilateral system (MLS). Unfortunately, the MLS is (still) restricted to a limited number of food and forage crops, with very few vegetable crops. Easy and continuous access to genetic diversity combined with equitable and fair sharing of derived benefits is a prerequisite to breeding new varieties. Facilitated access contributes to sustainable crop production and food and nutrition security; therefore, access to and, consequently, use of PGRFA needs to be improved. Thus, the authors recommend, among others, expanding the scope of the ITPGRFA to include all PGRFA and making them and all related information accessible under a Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) combined, if necessary, with a subscription system or a seed sales tax. Such a transparent, functional and efficient system would erase legal uncertainties and minimise transaction costs for conservers, curators and users of genetic resources, thus aiding plant breeders to fulfil their mission. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:38:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-426849e022c74d2c972497d1b3f98503 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:38:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-426849e022c74d2c972497d1b3f985032023-11-19T02:42:03ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472023-08-011216299210.3390/plants12162992Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector PerspectiveAndreas W. Ebert0Johannes M. M. Engels1Roland Schafleitner2Theo van Hintum3Godfrey Mwila4Independent Researcher, 73529 Schwäbisch Gmünd, GermanyIndependent Researcher, Voc. Podere Sansano 5, 06062 Citta’ della Pieve (PG), ItalyWorld Vegetable Center, 60 Yi-Min Liao, Shanhua, Tainan 74151, TaiwanCentre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands (CGN), Wageningen University & Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, The NetherlandsExecutive Secretary of the Zambia Seed Trade Association (ZASTA), Sulmach Buldings, Tiyende Pamodzi, Off Nangweya, Lusaka, ZambiaPlant breeders develop competitive, high-yielding, resistant crop varieties that can cope with the challenges of biotic stresses and tolerate abiotic stresses, resulting in nutritious food for consumers worldwide. To achieve this, plant breeders need continuous and easy access to plant genetic resources (PGR) for trait screening, to generate new diversity that can be built into newly improved varieties. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and the Nagoya Protocol recognised the sovereign rights of countries over their genetic resources. Under the CBD/Nagoya Protocol, countries are free to establish specific national legislations regulating germplasm access and benefit-sharing to be negotiated bilaterally. Consequently, access to PGR became increasingly restricted and cumbersome, resulting in a decrease in germplasm exchange. The ITPGRFA attempted to ease this situation by establishing a globally harmonised multilateral system (MLS). Unfortunately, the MLS is (still) restricted to a limited number of food and forage crops, with very few vegetable crops. Easy and continuous access to genetic diversity combined with equitable and fair sharing of derived benefits is a prerequisite to breeding new varieties. Facilitated access contributes to sustainable crop production and food and nutrition security; therefore, access to and, consequently, use of PGRFA needs to be improved. Thus, the authors recommend, among others, expanding the scope of the ITPGRFA to include all PGRFA and making them and all related information accessible under a Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA) combined, if necessary, with a subscription system or a seed sales tax. Such a transparent, functional and efficient system would erase legal uncertainties and minimise transaction costs for conservers, curators and users of genetic resources, thus aiding plant breeders to fulfil their mission.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/16/2992vegetable genetic resourcesglobal germplasm conservation and use systemsplant breedingaccess and benefit-sharingdigital sequence informationinternational treaty for plant genetic resources |
| spellingShingle | Andreas W. Ebert Johannes M. M. Engels Roland Schafleitner Theo van Hintum Godfrey Mwila Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective Plants vegetable genetic resources global germplasm conservation and use systems plant breeding access and benefit-sharing digital sequence information international treaty for plant genetic resources |
| title | Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective |
| title_full | Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective |
| title_short | Critical Review of the Increasing Complexity of Access and Benefit-Sharing Policies of Genetic Resources for Genebank Curators and Plant Breeders–A Public and Private Sector Perspective |
| title_sort | critical review of the increasing complexity of access and benefit sharing policies of genetic resources for genebank curators and plant breeders a public and private sector perspective |
| topic | vegetable genetic resources global germplasm conservation and use systems plant breeding access and benefit-sharing digital sequence information international treaty for plant genetic resources |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/16/2992 |
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