Background

FRP Phase II, which was launched in June 2004 and will be completed in July 2007, is an extension of the three-year Farmers' Rights Programme (FRP) Phase I. The Phase I Programme focused on farmers' rights to seed in the context of globalisation and the WTO. The ongoing Phase II Programme also seeks to protect farmers' rights in the context of globalisation and the WTO. The farmers' rights issues identified under Phase II are Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Farmers' participation in the decision making process. The project is being carried out in five South Asian countries namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Advocacy, Research, Sensitisation, Capacity Building, Information Dissemination, Networking and Alliance Building are the major focus areas of FRP Phase II.
The project is being coordinated at the regional level by South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment (SAWTEE), Kathmandu and is being implemented at the country level by its five member institutions. Pro Public is the programme implementing partner in Nepal.