Crop genetic resources constitute a ‘new’ global commons, characterized by multiple layers of activities of farmers, genebanks, public and private research and development organizations, and regulatory agencies operating from local to global levels. This paper presents sui generis biocultural community protocols that were developed by four communities in Benin and Madagascar to improve their ability to contribute to, and benefit from, the crop commons. The communities were motivated in part by the fact that their national governments’ had recently ratified the Plant Treaty and the Nagoya Protocol, which make commitments to promoting the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities and farmers, without being prescriptive as to how Contracting Parties should implement those commitments. The communities identified the protocols as useful means to advance their interests and/or rights under both the Plant Treaty and the Nagoya Protocol to be recognized as managers of local socio-ecological systems, to access genetic resources from outside the communities, and to control others’ access to resources managed by the community.

中文翻译：

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通过使用生物文化社区协议加强农民在全球作物公地中的代理权

作物遗传资源构成了一个“新的”全球公域，其特点是农民、基因库、公共和私人研究与开发组织以及从地方到全球层面运作的监管机构的多层活动。本文介绍了由贝宁和马达加斯加的四个社区制定的独特的生物文化社区协议，以提高他们为作物公地做出贡献并从中受益的能力。这些社区的部分动机是他们的国家政府最近批准了《植物条约》和《名古屋议定书》，它们承诺促进土著人民、当地社区和农民的权利，但没有规定缔约方应如何履行这些承诺。