The Eastern Himalayan belt is the centre of origin for a number of crops, including rice. This study explored the customary laws and farming practices of Lepcha and Limbu communities, and what they mean for the design of mechanisms to protect traditional knowledge (TK) at national and community levels.

There is growing recognition that successful adaptation of agricultural production systems to changes in climate will depend upon the improved access to, and use of, genetic diversity.

Tropical fruits – full of rich nutrients and health properties – are adapted to hot and humid environments. Many tropical fruit species might spread beyond their current geographical limit whereas some species might exhibit irregular bearing of fruit.

Many rural communities in the global South – including some 370 million indigenous peoples – are directly dependent on biodiversity and related traditional knowledge for their livelihoods, food security, healthcare and well-being.

The conservation and sustainable use of Bhutan’s biodiversity through securing the economic, social and spiritual wellbeing of the Bhutanese people. The National ABS policy covers the utilization of Bhutanese genetic resources and

In light of the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol, it is important for countries that have or are in the process of putting in place national ABS measures to share their experiences in implementation.

This new FAO report provides an overview of the global aquaculture status and development trends resulting from a series of regional reviews; Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa, North America and Sub-Saharan Africa, conducted by FAO in 2010.

Several UN entities have issued a Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability, which highlights the role of oceans in sustainable development and offers recommendations ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

When we reflect back in the past, we recollect Pandit Nehru's declaration soon after Independence in 1947, 'Everything else can wait but not Agriculture'. In 1948, Mahatma Gandhi orchestrated 'God is bread to the hungry'. This perspective of our national leadership led to the development of research institutions and the systems for technology-led agricultural growth in our country, which started with experiments in wheat and rice, and then ushered in vegetables, fruits, milk, fish, poultry, mushroom, honey, cotton, castor, soybean, maize etc., where we made good progress.

This paper prepared for the FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food & Agriculture fourth Governing Body, Bali, 14-18 March 2011 reviews the treaty provisions on farmers Rights. Focuses on the implementation of farmers' rights particularly in Peru, India and China, and research findings on how to effectively implement farmers' rights and the erosion of genetic resources.

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