Why agriculture IP protection is an important component to feeding a growing world population

The United Census Bureau expects world population to grow to 9 billion people by 2050.  We are facing an increasing number of global challenges, including limited land and water resources for cultivating food and feed crops, the threat of global climate change, pest pressure, and changing diets.

Given that arable land is a fixed value, we will need to continue to develop innovative methods of producing more food on the same amount of land.  Intellectual property protections spur the necessary research and development to advance new seed products that yield more food on the same amount of land; get more crop per drop (more yield with less water); grow in adverse conditions; and are more pest and disease resistant.

Farmers in countries that have intellectual property protections and technology transfer frameworks enjoy greater access to new seed products.  With intellectual property protections, companies not only invest in developing locally-adapted products and varieties but also develop partnerships that include training, knowledge transfer, and information sharing.  With protection, product developers make their innovations publicly known and available (through licensing).  This becomes a building block for technology transfer, new research and development, and incremental advances in new seed products.

More on the basics of intellectual property protection is covered by Derek Slater at CSO Online

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