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date, the task force is composed of 21 members including representatives
from the public sector, non-governmental organisations and
farmers, among other stakeholders. This group produced a Phase
2 proposal based on the outcomes of the workshop in Dhulikhel
and the discussions of the task force during 2004. The proposal
namely “Strengthening National Capacity for Genetic
Resources Policy Development in Nepal” was presented
to and approved by the ISC.
GRPI-Nepal Phase II
Phase II in Nepal was launched during a planning meeting
organised by the national task force and attended by representatives
from the GRPI secretariat in late 2005. The Phase II proposal
highlights the following components:
Awareness, capacity building and policy coordination.
The ‘domestication’ of international legal frameworks.
The development of a sui generis plant variety protection
regime
 Incorporating
concepts of farmers’ rights.
The empowerment of farming communities.
The socio-economic valuation of genetic resources.
Quality and safety issues in food production.
These components formed the core focus of work throughout
2006. Alot of success has been achieved by the task force
in what many see as leadership by example save for the political
unrest experienced in the country throughout the year. On
policy endorsements and treaty ratifications, it is worth
highlighting that the Member Secretary of the National Agrobiodiversity
Conservation Committee remains optimistic that the process
of endorsement and ratification of the National
Agrobiodiversity Policy and the International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
(ITPGRFA) will continue to progress steadily, especially
with the stabilisation of the current political situation.
On a different front, as a result of immense collaborative
effort involving farmers, NGOs, NARS, extension workers and
the private sector, the National Variety Approval, Release
and Registration Committee (VARRC) of Nepal released a bulk
variety of traditional high quality aromatic rice, “Pokhareli
Jethobudho”, a rice variety derived from 338 accessions
collected from farmers’ fields in 1998. This is was
a very commendable achievement. More on this is described
in the policy trends section of our newsletter. To read the
article
[click here...].
As previously mentioned, considerable progress has been made
in the implementation of Phase II activities. A draft report
on the ITPGRFA commissioned survey was produced and a draft
policy brief on the same in Nepali language was also produced
as a result of the survey. Another survey on Farmer’s
Rights and international genetic resources policies was also
undertaken where Interviews were conducted with farmers from
Kaski and Bara. This was intended to map out options for operational
definitions and mechanisms for implementing Farmer’s
Rights and ABS mechanisms. The review of farmer friendly policies
is now being used to develop a policy brief, awareness raising
materials for farmers and a study on indicators of farmers’
empowerment.
A baseline research in the form of collecting existing material,
papers and articles on GR management has been conducted. This
is in relation to the development of a sui generis
framework and it is envisaged that it will provide basis for
action research in form of the case studies currently being
conducted and which are intended to form the basis for revisions
to the Nepal PVP Bill.
GRPI-Nepal also expects to produce: A draft report of the
value of selected local rice landraces; a report on commercialization
of local GR and a draft report on alternative policy measures
for commercialization by the end of this year or early in
2007.
On the other hand, related to the component on assessment
of food quality and food safety regulations, component implementers
have undertaken a literature search and review of background
information in form of national and international regulations
as well holding initial consultations with policy makers.
Information on food quality and safety standards including
GMO’s has been obtained through participation in non-GRPI
funded workshops.
Lastly, in the course of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture
granted GRPI-Nepal permission to develop a national information
sharing system on genetic resources. Plans are underway to
develop the same. It is envisaged that efforts will be aimed
at building upon previous work undertaken through the existing
GRPI- Nepal hub, available at: www.nepal.pibs.info
and the GRPI/PIBS website.
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