> New biotechnologies or synthetic biology. The Green Revolution proposed and is proposing false solutions – such as new breeding techniques (also called “new GMOs”) – that aim at controlling the means of production in the hands of industries. The IPC Working Group defend the peasants’ rights to protect the farmers’ seeds system from misappropriation (such as Intellectual Property Rights).

> Digitalization (or de-materialization) of genetic resources. The access to farmers’ genetic resources is becoming easier day after day, thanks to the open access system of the information regarding seeds. It is not a solution for farmers; it will just benefit industries and ex situ breeders in patenting new varieties coming from the farmers’ seeds system. Nothing is negotiable without an effective system of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) that safeguard Indigenous Peoples and farmers’ communities.

> Biodiversity in agroecology (in collaboration with the IPC Working Group on Agroecology). The IPC Working Group support an agroecological approach for food production. Seeds are central for agroecology. There is no agroecology without a guaranteed farmers’ seeds system.

> Animal biodiversity. The public health risks and costs of sheds of pigs and poultry are profound. The combination of genetically similar animals in unhealthy production environments (with their attendant over-use of antimicrobials) is a global pandemic in the making. Governments should move rapidly to remove barriers to small-scale livestock farmers and pastoralists, and stop subsidizing industrial livestock agriculture that is destroying ecosystems from the genes up.

> Marine genetic resources (in collaboration with the IPC Working Group on Fisheries). Small-scale fisheries face many threats: industrial and destructive fishing practices, climate change, water contamination caused by mining, the proliferation of invasive species, large-scale infrastructure development, violence and persecution, water grabbing, privatization and exclusion of the natural resources on which they depend. Fresh waters and lakes (such as Atitlan, Guatemala) are affected to varying degrees by pollution that affects reproduction and causes genetic mutations. Women fishers, youth and indigenous peoples continue to be marginalized and struggle to participate meaningfully in policies for the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and to adapt their livelihoods and preserve their traditional cultures and skills, with all the socio-economic impacts associated with these major disruptions.

> Forest genetic resources. Plantations have caused ecocide in many countries by polluting and diverting rivers, destroying marine species and dispossessing surrounding communities. The role of local food systems, small-scale producers and agro-ecological approaches in forest conservation must be taken into account, while achieving food security and nutrition. FPIC must also be respected and applied as the way communities can define for themselves the kinds of “livelihood opportunities” they want.

> Climate change. Biodiversity is critical for a resilient and sustainable food system, and that we need now more than ever resilience to deal with the impacts of climate change. It is up to the governments of the world to do what is necessary to build this resilience back into our food and agriculture systems, by supporting best those who have always and will continue to maintain and develop biodiversity – the indigenous peoples, peasants, and small-scale farmers and fishers of the world.

> Invertebrates and microorganisms. Rebalancing ecosystems to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of the diversity of microorganisms and invertebrates rather than on the unsustainable industrial production of genes and microorganisms that are merely a dressing designed to hide a wooden leg temporarily.