Definition

An international agreement, sometimes known as the International Seed Treaty, with the overall goal of supporting global food security, allowing governments, farmers, research institutes and agro-industries to work together by pooling their genetic resources and sharing the benefits from their use – thus protecting and enhancing food crops while giving fair recognition and benefits to local farmers who have nurtured these crops through the millennia. Adopted in 2001 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) ¹

It is one of the eight international conventions that focus on biodiversity issues. ²