Brussels, Belgium
April 26, 2012

In recognition of World Intellectual Property (IP) Day today, the plant science industry celebrates innovation fostered through IP to help meet agricultural challenges. Advances in agricultural technologies can increase food production for a rapidly growing world population while protecting the environment.

World IP Day 2012 focuses on Visionary Innovators – individuals whose ingenuity has been ground-breaking and door-opening with a lasting impact. CropLife International honours plant scientists as Visionary Innovators, making improved seeds and crop protection products available to farmers for increased crop productivity and quality.

“Plant scientists are continually enhancing crop genetics and other technologies to withstand insect, disease and weed pressures; improve nutrition, yield and quality; and to be locally adaptable,” says Howard Minigh, president and CEO of CropLife International. “Improved crops are critical for food security and healthier people worldwide.”

Plant science innovators in both the private and public sectors often work together to bring high-quality seeds and crop protection products to farmers. Such partnerships share resources and expertise to ensure that innovations reach and benefit both farmers and consumers in an environmentally friendly way. For example:

• The HarvestPlus Challenge Programme has more than 200 agricultural and nutrition scientists worldwide working to biofortify seven key staple crops – beans, cassava, maize, pearl millet, rice, sweet potato and wheat – that can reduce micronutrient malnutrition in Asia and Africa.
• In southern India, a project was developed to train 100,000 farm families in the responsible use of crop protection products to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks of using them. This project is managed by the plant science industry in cooperation with two local non-governmental organizations.
• The BioCassava Plus project is working to improve the nutritional quality (increased levels of zinc, iron, protein and vitamins) and post-harvest durability of cassava, the primary source of calories for over 250 million people in sub-Saharan Africa.
• In Japan, private companies are working with local governments, agricultural associations and universities to establish appropriate crop varieties and crop protection tools that are ideal for year-round cultivation of leafy vegetables.
• Brazil’s public agricultural research corporation Embrapa has worked with private companies to develop an herbicide-tolerant soybean that meets local growers’ needs.

“Plant scientists in such public-private partnerships inspire much needed agricultural innovations,” notes Minigh. “On World IP Day, we honour these Visionary Innovators, whose efforts will lead to increased food production and improved diets for millions of people.”

To learn more about how plant scientists in the private and public sectors are working together for the betterment of agriculture, download CropLife International’s new brochure, “Advancing Agricultural Innovation through Public-Private Partnerships,” and view additional case studies at www.croplife.org

April 26 was declared World IP Day because it was the day on which the World Intellectual Property Convention came into force in 1970.

Website: http://www.croplife.org

Published: April 26, 2012