Another Step Towards Mass Starvation?

Monsanto is hooking up with small companies in research and development deals to try and keep potential technology from falling into the hands of rivals Syngenta and DuPont ....[Monsanto and Israel-based Evogene] are expanding the scope of their partnership to include discovering "genes related to yield, environmental stress and fertilizer utilization"

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Why the Treaty is important:
The first meeting of the Governing Body of the International Treaty marks an historic moment for the future of food security. But why should anyone be interested in an extremely technical piece
of international law? Here are some of the reasons why the Treaty is important.

A treaty for agriculture. The Treaty is the first international law to deal specifically with the needs of agriculture. It covers the rich diversity hidden within the genes of the thousands of varieties of crops that feed humanity. From the very first domestication of a wild species—possibly a
more than 12 000 years ago—agriculture has always depended on the exchange of genetic resources. The Treaty will make it easier for farmers and breeders to continue sharing those resources so that they can meet new challenges in the future. Challenges to farmers and agriculture do not stand still. New pests and diseases and changing growing conditions can only be addressed if farmers and scientists have access to as wide a range of resources as possible. By guaranteeing that access, the Treaty guarantees the future of agriculture.

A multilateral system of access and benefit-sharing. By signing up to the Treaty, countries gain
access to the genetic resources of all other signatories. This is much more effective than the alternative, which would require countries to negotiate bilaterally for access, especially when one considers that a new variety may count hundreds of varieties from scores of countries in its pedigree. Initially the multilateral system applies to 64 crops and forages that represent most of the crops that humanity depends on for its food supply.

Benefit-sharing. The ‘owners’ of a commercialized product that incorporates material obtained through the multilateral system will pay a royalty into a special fund. Money from this fund will be used to boost conservation efforts in developing countries. Cash, however, is perhaps the least significant of the benefits that will flow from the Treaty, which also envisages information exchange, access to technology and transfer of technology.


Benefits from the system will arise from royalties levied on commercial products developed using material of crops that have been included in the system. Thirty-five of the world’s most important food crops and a similar number of forages are covered by the terms regulating the multilateral system. The royalty payment has been set at 1.1% of sales. It is mandatory if the product is unavailable for further breeding and research. Payments are voluntary if the products are available for further use. The funds will be devoted to conservation efforts, mainly in developing countries.
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