Project description DEENESFRITPL Microbial resources for growing agricultural productivity Agricultural microbial resources are becoming increasingly attractive amongst global actors seeking new solutions to improve crop productivity. A race to patent microbial-based products is already underway. However, rules to regulate the rights to benefits or sharing programmes have yet to be proposed for agricultural microorganisms that were developed from the farming system and managing practices. This creates an environment where mutually agreed contracts may disadvantage farmers. To address this issue, the EU-funded MICROB-COM project will present and prove the shortcomings and threats posed by the present multilateral trade agreements. MICROB-COM will also develop a Microbial Commons, a legal instrument to incorporate systems of commons in sharing benefits from agricultural microorganisms. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Farm management practices have been shown to drive the evolution of specific consortia of agricultural microbial resources that contribute to increased agricultural productivity. The ecological traits of agricultural micro-organisms have made them an important target for patenting. Farmers' rights are an outcome of the recognition of the role of farmer communities in the evolution of crop varieties. Indigenous farmers have acted as selection agents in the development of crop as well as agricultural microbial resources by increasing reproductive fitness of particular genotypes. However, unlike with crop selection, no formal recognition of farmers' rights or potential benefit sharing programme has been proposed for agricultural micro-organisms that evolved from farming regimes. The central thesis that this project seeks to prove is that multilateral trade and environmental agreements have failed in protecting the rights of indigenous farmers for their intellectual contribution in selection of beneficial agricultural biodiversity. The coming into force of TRIPS agreement and the Convention on Biological diversity has concretized the patenting regime of micro-organisms. In the absence of effective international and national legal enforcement, benefits are shared through mutually agreed contract arrangements which are invariably skewed against indigenous farmers. A commons approach to micro-organisms has potential to align farmers' rights on agricultural microbial resources with legal instruments developed for plant genetic resource collections. Microbial commons is conceptualized and builds on other work that is done in the areas of genetic resource commons and networked information commons in digitized environments in the field of genetic resources. This project aims to analyse deficiencies and barriers in multilateral agreements and develop a legal instrument for the incorporation of a commons regime for sharing of benefits from agricultural micro-organisms. Fields of science social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivitynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturesocial scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE Net EU contribution € 224 933,76 Address Richmond street 16 G1 1XQ Glasgow United Kingdom See on map Region Scotland West Central Scotland Glasgow City Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
