Farmers’ needs and expectations around “New, Improved Plant Varieties” for enhanced sustainability.
WFO launched this week an online consultation to the farmers to explore their needs, constraints, and expectations on New, Improved Plant Varieties*.
The survey aims at directly and effectively involving farmers in the general framework of the global debate on innovation and sustainable food systems.
The collected answers will contribute to WFO activities to ensure a farmer-driven, science-based and pragmatic approach to innovation [public/ private] for improved sustainability of farming and food systems.
Among others, farmers’ inputs will be the starting point for an in-depth technical discussion on the role of new, improved plant varieties in mitigating and responding to climate change and contributing to more sustainable food systems, as a precursor to a digital global event taking place next June, involving farmers first, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the International Seed Federation (ISF).
The survey is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese.
The submission deadline is 23 April 2021.
Looking forward to hearing the farmers’ view!
* “New, Improved Varieties of Plants” means plant varieties bred with features such as improved yield, resistance to plant pests and diseases, salt and drought tolerance, better adaptation to climatic stress, or improved characteristics for users’ or consumers’ needs.