Only a small number of governments have established meaningful and effective farmer-centred measures for the implementation of access and benefit sharing of genetic resources. One reason is the highly complex nature of the international regulatory system. This special issue of Farming Matters magazine presents practical ways in which access and benefit sharing for family farmers … Read more

Since 1991, François Meienberg has worked on access and benefit sharing (ABS), intellectual property rights and agriculture for the Berne Declaration. In this interview, Mr Meienberg reflects on the implementation of the ABS system so far. “We have to look for a kind of system which protects one kind of innovation without destroying the other.” … Read more

This special issue of Farming Matters magazine has explored the ways in which access and benefit sharing of plant genetic resources can work for family farmers. On one hand it presents cases that demonstrate the limited extent to which family farmers have been able to benefit from the ‘formal’ ABS process: the rather complex arrangements … Read more