@article{41875,
      recid = {41875},
      author = {Westengen, Ola T. and Mulesa, Teshome H.},
      title = {Against the grain? A historical institutional analysis of  access governance of plant genetic resources for food and  agriculture in Ethiopia},
      pages = {39 pages},
      abstract = {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 acounter 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.},
      url = {http://tind.wipo.int/record/41875},
}