Ahead of renewed negotiations to revise a global treaty in Rome on Monday, rich and poor countries are at loggerheads over how to share genetic plant data that could help breed crops better able to withstand climate change.
The little-known agreement is seen as crucial for agricultural research and development on a planet suffering from rising hunger, malnutrition and the effects of climate change.
"We need all the 'genetics' around the world to be able to breed crops that will adapt to global warming," said Sylvain Aubry, a plant biologist who advises the Swiss government.