This book is about crop plant varieties developed by local farmers - commonly referred to as farmers' varieties - and policies to increase the share of benefits farmers receive from the use of those varieties. This subject is problematic because there are no fixed taxonomic or legal definitions of farmers' varieties. The book aims to clarify the issues by examining: ' biological and social complexities involved in answering the questions, 'What is a farmers' variety?' and 'How can you tell them apart?' ' the evolution of the concept of 'Farmers' rights,' starting from the dawn of 'genetic resources' as a subject worthy of international attention, to the first legal recognition of the concept of Farmers' Rights in an international treaty in 2001, through to current efforts to develop national level policies and laws ' outstanding policy-making challenges linked to the absence of fixed taxonomic or legal definitions of farmers' varieties. Various solutions are considered, based on revised or new definitions of farmers' varieties that reflect the biological and cultural realities in which they are produced, and the relative costs and benefits of attempting to implement each of the policies considered ' the manner in which public debate concerning the policy options considered in the book has evolved over the course of the last 20 years, and how that evolution compares with actual experiences implementing those policies. ' case studies of actual situations 'in the field' where farmers, researchers and policy advocates have been confronted with the issues raised in this book.
Edited by:
Michael Halewood (Bioversity International Italy)
Imprint: Earthscan Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9781844078912
ISBN 10: 1844078914
Series: Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity
Pages: 406
Publication Date: 21 March 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Further / Higher Education
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
1. Introduction Michael Halewood and Isabel Lapeña Part 1: Dynamism in the Field: Factors Affecting the Evolution and Maintenance of Distinct Traits in Farmer’s Variety 2. Technical Challenges in Identifying Farmer Varieties Jeremy Cherfas 3. The Farmers’ Role in Creating New Genetic Diversity Carlo Fadda Part 2: Case Studies at the Interface of Farmer Variety Enhancement Efforts and National Policies 4. Leveraging the Successful Participatory Improvement of Pokhareli Jethobudhu for National Policy Development in Nepal Pratap Kumar Shrestha 5. Promoting Policy Support for the Enhancement and Marketing of Farmers’ Varieties in Vietnam Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue and Michael Halewood 6. Participatory Barley Breeding in Syria: Policy Bottlenecks and Responses Salvatore Ceccarelli Part 3: The International Policy Context: Global Systems of Conservation and Use and Farmers’ Rights 7. Historical Context: Evolving International Cooperation on Crop Genetic Resources Regine Anderson 8. Farmers’ Rights: Evolution of the International Policy Debate and National Implementation Regine Andersen Part 4: Identifying Discrete Farmers’ Varieties in Law 9. Sui Generis IPR Protections for Farmers’ Varieties Carlos Correa 10. Variety Registration: The Evolution of Registration Systems with a Special Emphasis on Agro-biodiversity Conservation Niels Louwaars and François Burgaud 11. Defensive Protection of Farmers’ Varieties Isabel López Noriega 12. Institutional Capacity and Implementation Issues in Farmers’ Rights C.S. Srinivasan Part 5: Case studies of National Laws 13. Commentary on the Indian Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act 2001 Dwijen Rangnekar 14. Commentary on the Malaysian Protection of New Varieties Act 2004 Lim Eng Siang 15. Commentary on Egypt’s Law on the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Mohammed Eid Megeed 16. Commentary on Thailand’s Plant Varieties Protection Act Gabrielle Gagne and Chutima Ratanasatien 17. Commentary on the Zambian Plant Breeders’ Rights Act Godfrey Mwila 18. Commentary on the Nepalese Seeds Act and the Seeds Regulation Pratap Shrestha 19. Variety Regulation in the United State of America Richard J. Blaustein 20. Commentary on Law no. 10711 Regulating the Brazilian National Seed and Seedling System Juliana Santilli 21. Commentary on Variety Registration Regulation in Italy Alejandro Mejias, Enrico Bertacchini and Riccardo Bocci 22. Commentary on the Zambian Plant Variety and Seeds Act, 1998 Godfrey Mwila 23. Commentary on the Regulation on Management of Farm Households' Plant Varieties in Vietnam Nguyen Van Dinh and Nguyen Ngoc Kinh 24. Commentary on the Registry of Native Crops in Peru: Law 28477 and the Registry of Native Potatoes Manuel Ruiz Muller 25. Analysis of the Draft Proposal for the Establishment of a Special System for the Registry and Commercialization of Native Seeds (Farmers’ Seeds) in Costa Rica Jorge Cabrera Medaglia 26. Registration of Traditional Varieties under Benin Seed Regulation Raymond Vodouhe with Michael Halewood
Michael Halewood is a Senior Scientist and Head of the Policy Research and Support Unit at Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. His research focuses on the impact of policies on the use and conservation of agricultural biological diversity. He is also a qualified barrister and solicitor, and coordinates representation of the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) and of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in international genetic resources policy-making fora.
Reviews for Farmers' Crop Varieties and Farmers' Rights: Challenges in Taxonomy and Law
Putting farmers' rights at the centre of policy initiatives is crucial for agricultural biodiversity in ACP countries. This book is a valuable contribution to the complex yet worthwhile project to conserve farmers' diverse crop varieties. - Spore (2016, issue 181)
