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Access to and use of genetic resources, building blocks of food and agricultural products, are critical to US agriculture. Currently, an international regime governing terms of access to and benefit sharing (ABS) from the use of genetic resources is being developed. Hence, the goal of this project is to develop a policy-relevant understanding of genetic resources access, use and benefit sharing practices of the US food and agriculture user community, with an emphasis on examining the importance of foreign sources of genetic resources to US stakeholders. We will describe the variation across food and agricultural sectors on use and access patterns of genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture (GRFA) and describe the types of GRFA used in research and product production. In addition to sectoral-level information, we will also provide information on specific case studies of industry/research communities within each sector that represent the variation across sectors on norms of access and use of genetic resources. To meet the information needs of US policy makers engaged in international discussions/negotiations on ABS for GRFA, we will provide US policy makers with research findings available-to-date on the study's methodological approaches, sectoral overviews, and detailed case study findings in advance of major international meetings. The final deliverable will be a document synthesizing cross-sectoral findings of access and use patterns of genetic resources among the community of food and agriculture users in the US to provide insights on this issue for US policy development.
<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: <br/>Access to and use of genetic resources, building blocks of food and agricultural products, are critical to the competitiveness, safety, and quality of the US food supply, agriculture and the environment. Genetic resources are used in many sectors of food and agriculture such as breeding new or improved livestock and fish breeds, the development of diagnostic assays to detect food safety or animal/plant health threats, the application of new microorganisms in processed foods, such as the use of yeast in bread or wine, or the quest for probiotics - bacteria and fungal strains with health promoting qualities, which have gained in popularity among consumers. New developments in international fora may affect the ability of US researchers in both the public and private sectors to access genetic resources. Even though an international regime governing
terms of access to and benefit sharing (ABS) from the use of genetic resources is currently being developed, little is known about the patterns of access or use of genetic resources for food and agriculture in the US. Hence, the goal of this project is to develop a policy-relevant understanding of genetic resources access, use and benefit sharing practices of the US food and agriculture user community, with an emphasis on examining the importance of foreign sources of genetic resources to US stakeholders. In addition to a review of the literature to identify sectoral level issues, we will conduct in-depth case studies of industry/research communities within selected sectors. We will combine analyses of trade flows, interviews with technical experts, and stakeholder surveys to quantify access patterns and to understand how stakeholders are strategizing in response to an emergent
international ABS regime. The collection and synthesis of this information is being conducted during the final stages of the international efforts to develop an ABS regime. Thus, findings from each component of the study will be released to policy makers on an on-going basis in advance of key international meetings to ensure that timely and targeted information is available as the terms and approaches to the development of an ABS regime are considered.
<p>APPROACH:<br/>To systematically address the objectives of the study, we will conduct a two-year case study research design that uses multiple types of qualitative and quantitative data and analysis techniques to provide information on access, use and benefit sharing in several food and agriculture genetic resource sectors for policy makers, researchers, and end-users of genetic resources. We will first conduct a sector-level literature and document review as well as interviews of key stakeholders from each sector to understand the landscape of access and use patterns of genetic resources of relevance to food and agriculture (GRFA). Based on this review, we will then select several GRFA cases (sectors and organisms) for deeper analysis. Chosen cases will demonstrate variation across GRFA characteristics expected to determine access and use patterns. These include:
material access and exchange characteristics (e.g. relevance of sourcing from gene banks, importance of access to foreign materials, and the importance of access to wild materials), intellectual property rights, product characteristics (e.g. how the GRFA is used in the research and development process), biological characteristics (e.g. whether breeding or screening GRFA leads to the development of the final product), and user community characteristics (e.g. sector distribution, researcher orientation and location, and industry structure). For the selected cases, we will compile and analyze available micro trade and exchange data to understand import and export flows, and to identify countries/regions of origin. We will conduct a survey of stakeholders on access and use needs, constraints, opportunities and behaviors. Finally, we will also use a new online interactive data collection
technique to examine the level of awareness of and strategic responses by stakeholders in response to potential changes or current demands resulting from an emergent international ABS regime. These data will be analyzed using several techniques, including Q-methodology. The surveys will be designed to allow comparison of analysis results across sectors to facilitate use of the results by policy makers. Results will be made available on an ongoing basis to US policy makers in preparation for international meetings scheduled during 2009 and 2010. We will evaluate the impact of this project through an assessment of the adherence to the proposed work plan and feedback from US policy makers receiving study reports. Policy maker feedback will be used to refine the content of subsequent reports to ensure that the deliverables meet their needs and requirements.