Effect of crop patents on small scale farmers in Kenya

Abstract

Agriculture innovation in Kenya is shifting from the public sector to the private sector through the research in the use of recombinant DNA techniques to develop new plant varieties. Consequently, these biotechnology companies secure their investments through the patent framework. Most farmers in Kenya are small scale farmers, who play an important role in conserving local plant genetic resources. Restricting farmers on the free access to improved seeds will essentially decrease global biological diversity