Adapting IP to an evolving AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION LANDSCAPE

摘要

More than ever, innovation is needed to meet the challenges of a rapidly-growing world population which is poised to increase from 7 billion today to almost 9 billion by 2050. Higher calorie demand and an increased use of crops for biofuels will require agricultural production to increase by 70 percent by 2050 (see OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2010-2019 - ). Climate change and decreasing availability of water and farmland will add further complexity to the situation. We need to meet this challenge by producing more with less-less land, and fewer inputs, including less fertilizer. This will only be possible if we maximize agricultural innovation in areas such as seeds, biotechnology, crop protection, resource-saving agricultural practices, storage and transportation. Similarly - and even more importantly given the complexity of this endeavor - we need to develop solutions that make it possible to integrate the variety of innovative elements that are often owned by different parties into fully integrated solutions. While most agree with the need for innovation, there is a fierce debate about the role of intellectual property (IP) in this context.