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Sowing the Seeds of Progress: The Agricultural Biotechnology Debate in Africa
Author(s) -
Zerbe Noah
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00512.x
Subject(s) - intellectual property , agriculture , indigenous , convention , european union , convention on biological diversity , agricultural biotechnology , political science , genetic resources , international trade , diversity (politics) , microbiology and biotechnology , trips agreement , business , biology , biodiversity , law , ecology
Recent innovations in agricultural biotechnology raise a number of questions for the future of farming in both the developed and developing worlds. Conflicting international agreements, particularly tensions between the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, provoke debates between farmers, plant breeders, and indigenous communities over the extent of ownership rights in genetic resources. Further, trade disputes between the United States and the European Union help to shape the terrain on which biotechnology is developed. The future of agricultural biotechnology in Africa is largely a function of the outcome of these debates.