Advocacy for farmers’ rights in Nepal

When Nepal negotiated with theWorld Trade Organization (WTO) from 1998 to 2003 to become a member, pressure was exerted on the Nepalese negotiators to introduce new legislation on plant breeders’ rights.The negotiators from Nepal were told that in order to be admitted to theWTO,Nepal would have to join the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). UPOV membership would necessitate legislation with strong protection of plant breeders’ rights, at the cost of Farmers’ Rights related to seed and propagating material. The National Alliance for Food Security (NAFOS), an umbrella organisation ofNGOs in Nepal, involved itself in this process.They contacted farmers’ organisations and facilitated workshops with farmer groups to develop a position regarding the issue of UPOV membership.They also consulted business actors in order to ensure that their position would be beneficial to Nepal on the whole. Against this background, NAFOS organised a campaign in Nepal and supported the Nepalese delegation during the negotiations. The result was that Nepal rejected UPOV membership and agreed to develop a sui generis system for plant variety protection, more suitable to the needs of the country, by the end of 2005.1 Nepal became a member of theWTO on 23April 2004, and the national Ministry ofAgriculture and Cooperatives has drafted a law on PlantVariety Protection and Farmers’Rights that recognises the rights of both breeders and farmers. As the advocacy campaign proved very successful, it stands as a good example ofhow farmers and their organisations can have a say in decision-making at the national level.2