Advocacy for farmers’ rights in Nepal
2013
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
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