Seed science in the 21st century: rights that scientist have to deal with

Seed researchers, like anybody else working with materials containing genes, have to deal with a variety of rules. Their ‘freedom to operate’ does not only depend on intellectual property rights but also on various rights arising from biodiversity policies and possibly traditional knowledge. The most relevant are, however, patents on both materials and biotechnologies. It is in this field that recent developments indicate that the pendulum of ever-increasing levels of rights has started to swing back a little. This is due to recent court cases both in the USA and Europe, and emerging political debates in various countries. After describing the general policy arena involving national sovereign rights, private rights and ‘group-rights’ we focus on recent trends in the patent system. Seed scientists hardly even had to deal with such rights in the past, but in the 21st century they need to be aware of their implications

Supporting farmers in maintaining and selecting seeds of local varieties

This book addresses strategies and approaches through which professionals can support informal seed supply, and link these with the conservation and use of the huge genetic resource base of crops and local varieties. The aim of all the strategies, case studies and reflections on experiences presented in this book is to improve the availability of and access to seeds and varieties, thereby improving the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in Ethiopia and beyond

Seed Systems and Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

This report examines the role of seed and seed systems in the conservation and the use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It focuses on developments since the publication of the first report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture