As governments gather in Lima from 24–29 November for the 11th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), the EU-funded LiveSeeding project call on Parties to recognise a key ally in overcoming the current impasse in global seed governance: municipalities.

On 24 November at the Lima Convention Center, LiveSeeding and partners Rete Semi Rurali, Red de Municipios por la Agroecología and ProSpecieRara will host a side event on “Fostering Cultivated Biodiversity through Local Food Policies”, presenting concrete examples from Scandicci in Italy, Geneva in Switzerland, Granollers, Aínsa and Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain.

“Lima can mark a turning point,” said Mariano Iossa, LiveSeeding Project Coordinator at FiBL Europe. “While negotiations struggle to reach consensus, municipalities across Europe are already delivering the solutions the Treaty needs—protecting cultivated biodiversity, strengthening farmers’ rights and reconnecting communities with seeds. But they can only scale this work if Parties give them recognition and the policy space, funding and legal certainty they deserve.”

These municipal approaches, developed within LiveSeeding and supported by over 100 European local authorities through the Granollers Manifesto on “Fostering Cultivated Biodiversity in European Municipalities”, show how urban food policies, seed initiatives and community partnerships can make cultivated biodiversity a driver of resilient local food systems.

“Cities like Scandicci, Geneva and Granollers are already investing in community seed banks, municipal gardens and other measures that bring farmers, gardeners and citizens together to promote agriobiodiversity,” said Riccardo Bocci, Director at Rete Semi Rurali.  “These models work—and they deserve to be scaled.” The call comes as the Lima negotiations again attempt to resolve longstanding divisions over access and benefit-sharing, farmers’ rights, and equity in seed systems—issues where local governments are already demonstrating practical, inclusive solutions. Item 12 of the Governing Body’s agenda addresses ‘Conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA in urban and peri-urban food systems’ (IT/GB-11/25/12/Inf.2)

“Municipalities can become biodiversity stewards at the heart of their food systems—but only if national frameworks and the Treaty acknowledge their role,” said María Carrascosa, Network of Municipalities for Agroecology.

Agrobiodiversity refers to the diversity in domesticated crops, farm animals and forest trees intentionally cultivated and reared by humans for food and agriculture. For this, it is distinct from wild biodiversity. For plant crops, we speak of Cultivated Biodiversity which includes the seeds of a vast diversity of landraces, heirloom varieties, and locally adapted cultivars.

In April 2025, the city of Granollers hosted the 1st European Symposium on Fostering Cultivated Biodiversity through Local Food Policies, co-organized by LiveSeeding and the Network of Municipalities for Agroecology. More than 100 municipal representatives co- developed the Granollers Manifesto, outlining 32 strategic actions to embed biodiversity in urban food policies—from public canteens to land-use planning, social inclusion, education and community seed initiatives. More info on: foodpolicies4biodiversity.com/

The LiveSeeding is an innovation project, funded by the EU, SERI and UKRI, which promotes the growth of organic seed and plant breeding systems to facilitate the transition to more sustainable local food systems. Its main objective is to provide high quality organic seeds and diverse varieties adapted to organic farming in a wide range of crops. to facilitate the transition to more sustainable local food systems. More info on: liveseeding.eu

FiBL – Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), one of the world’s leading research centres dedicated to organic and agroecological food systems. More info on: www.fibl.org

Network of Municipalities for Agroecology is an association of more than 30 local entities in the Spanish State that promotes sustainable, inclusive and territorialized food systems, from an agroecological and food sovereignty perspective.
More info on www.municipiosagroeco.red/

Rete Semi Rurali is an Italian network that promotes agrobiodiversity by supporting farmer- led seed systems, participatory plant breeding and community seed initiatives. It works to strengthen farmers’ rights, improve access to locally adapted varieties and advance agroecological seed practices. More info on www.rsr.bio

ProSpecieRara is a Swiss foundation dedicated to conserving endangered cultivated plants and traditional livestock breeds. Through collaboration with farmers, gardeners and research institutions, it preserves rare varieties and promotes their use as part of resilient and diverse food systems. More info on: www.prospecierara.ch/fr