This book provides a ringside view of the long drawn and complex negotiation process leading to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The rationale for a free international exchange of plant genetic resources for supporting sustained agricultural innovation and meeting food security objectives is well established. However, the creation of a multilateral framework for international exchange of plant genetic resources required the convergence of very diverse stakeholder perspectives and interests – especially between developed and developing countries. The book provides a detailed narrative of how this convergence was achieved to make the Treaty possible. It does not explore the paradigm conflicts that appear to persist between the International Treaty (which treats plant genetic resources as an international ‘public good’ and seeks to facilitate their free international exchange for crops critical to food security) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (which is based on the principle of ‘sovereign rights over biological resources’ – and how this may impact the effective implementation of the Treaty). The Treaty is only six years old and is still in the early stages of implementation. No empirical assessment of the impact of the Treaty on plant germplasm flows across countries, its impact on access to plant genetic resources for different stakeholders or the effectiveness of benefit-sharing provisions has been attempted. These issues remain to be addressed through further research. The book does provide a fascinating account of the political economy of the provision of international ‘public’ goods.