Against the grain? A historical institutional analysis of access governance of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Ethiopia

Against the grain? A historical institutional analysis of access governance of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in Ethiopia

Farmers' and breeders' access to a genetic diversity is essential for food system sustainability. The implementation of international agreements regulating access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) varies substantially between countries. Here, we examine why some c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of world intellectual property Vol. 23; no. 1-2; pp. 82 - 120
Main Authors: Mulesa, Teshome H., Westengen, Ola T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-03-2020
Subjects:
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
Agriculture
Agronomy
Biodiversity
Commons governance
Cultural identity
Economic analysis
Economic factors
Economic importance
Farm management
Farmers
Food
Food plants
Genetic diversity
Genetic resources
Governance
Grain
Intellectual property
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Interest groups
International agreements
International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)
Narratives
Political factors
Political power
Politics
Property rights
Sustainability
Ethiopia
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Summary:Farmers' and breeders' access to a genetic diversity is essential for food system sustainability. The implementation of international agreements regulating access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) varies substantially between countries. Here, we examine why some countries implement a restrictive access governance regime, taking Ethiopia as a case. Drawing on commons theory and historical institutional analysis, we analyze historical, political, and economic factors that have shaped Ethiopia's access regime. Based on interviews with key actors and stakeholders and document analysis, we identify three overarching ideational and material factors that can explain Ethiopia's current policy: (a) the influence of narratives about Ethiopia as a biodiversity treasure trove on the Ethiopian cultural identity; (b) the economic importance of agriculture based on PGRFA with origin in the country; and (c) the political influence of the genetic resource movement that promotes farmers' rights as a counter measure to stringent intellectual property rights (IPR), and on‐farm PGRFA management as complimentary to ex situ conservation and formal seed system development. The Ethiopian case illustrates that countries' governance of access to PGRFA must be understood in connection with, and not in isolation from, IPR regimes and the historical, political, and cultural role of PGRFA in the country in question.
ISSN:1422-2213
1747-1796
DOI:10.1111/jwip.12142