Farmers' Rights

Farmers' Rights is the internationally recognized principle that farming communities, as the historical stewards and improvers of crop genetic diversity through generations of selection, are entitled to protect their traditional knowledge, participate in benefit-sharing and decision-making, and save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed. The principle is written into the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, though its implementation is left to national law and sits in ongoing tension with plant variety protection and patent regimes that restrict seed-saving.