International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development IP and Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture

This Conference will bring together speakers from IGOs, NGOs, governments, academia and the private sector to exchange about the importance of innovation for sustainable agriculture and discuss how IP tools can support it. It will look at the role of innovation and IP in different stages of the agricultural value chain – from land preparation and agricultural inputs, cultivation and harvesting, to storing, distribution and consumption.

The event is being organized in the context of WIPO’s Development Agenda and WIPO’s Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). It is part of a series of Conferences held biennially in the framework of the CDIP.

The Conference is open to all, either at WIPO’s Headquarters in Geneva or via an online platform.

Member States representatives and Observers attending CDIP/30 do not need to register separately to attend the Conference.

Each panel discussion will conclude with a Q&A session, during which participants will be able to raise questions to the panelists.

Interpretation will be available in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

April 24, 2023

Program

Registration and welcoming (8.30 – 9.30)

Welcoming remarks (9.30 – 9.40)

Welcome address

Hasan Kleib
Deputy Director General, Regional and National Development Sector, WIPO

Introductory Panel: IP as an Incentive for Sustainable Agriculture (9.40 – 10.30)

During the Introductory Panel, speakers will engage in a conversation about the challenges that the agricultural sector is facing in view of the current global climate crises, and how public policies, including national IP policies, can incentivize innovation and the use of various forms of IP in the agricultural sector to help address those challenges.

Moderator and Panelists

Photo of Mr. Edward Kwakwa — **Moderator:** **Mr. Edward Kwakwa**
Assistant Director General, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector, WIPO

Photo of H. E. Ms. Sofía Boza — **Speaker: H. E. Ms. Sofía Boza**
Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Chile to the World Trade Organization

Photo: Ms. Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield — **Speaker: H.E. Ms. Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield**
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the WTO and WIPO

Panel 1: Agricultural land and inputs – Preparing the ground (11.00 – 12.30)

Farmers need productive land, good quality seed of high-performing plant varieties adapted to their locations and production methods, fertilizers, livestock, machinery and irrigation to ensure successful and sustainable agricultural production. During this session, panelists will analyze how IP and innovation can help to satisfy these needs.

Moderator and Panelists

i_43588830-avatar_240 — **Moderator:** **Mr. Alejandro Roca Campaña**
Senior Director, IP for Innovators Department, WIPO

Photo of Peter Button — **Speaker: Mr. Peter Button**
Vice Secretary-General, UPOV

Photo of Mr. Elcio Perpétuo Guimarães — **Speaker: Mr. Elcio Perpétuo Guimarães**
Director General, Embrapa Rice and Beans, Goiânia, Brazil

Photo of Ms. Susan Bragdon — **Speaker: Ms. Susan Bragdon**
Director of Seeds for All, Portland, Oregon, United States of America

Photo of Ms. Mohd Fahad Ifaz — **Case study: Mohd Fahad Ifaz**
C.E.O, iFarmer, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Panel 2: Cultivation and Harvesting – Producing the crop (14.00 – 15.30)

Farmers face multiple challenges in crop and livestock farming, such as pests and diseases, adverse weather, food loss management and fluctuating market conditions. During this session, panelists will discuss how to respond to these challenges, including with the use of e-farming applications and artificial intelligence-based machines. New trends in agriculture such as “climate-smart villages” and urban agriculture will be also considered. In this context, panelists will also look at various IP tools and strategies that could encourage innovation for more sustainable farm production.

Moderator and Panelists

Photo: Hans Adu-Dapaah — **Speaker: Mr. Hans Adu-Dapaah**
Dr., Vice-President, CSIR College of Science and Technology (CCST), Kumasi, Ghana

Photo of Mr. Surya Mani Tripathi — **Speaker: Mr. Surya Mani Tripathi**
Head Legal Services, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, Telengana, India

Photo: Ms. Namukolo Covic — **Speaker: Ms. Namukolo Covic**
Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, CGIAR, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Photo of Ms. Nailya Shodorova — **Case study: Ms. Nailya Shodorova**
Director, EGISTIC, Astana, Kazakhstan

Panel 3: Storing, Distribution and Consumption – From farming to commercializing (15.45 – 17.15)

The storing and distribution represents the stage of the supply chain that takes the agricultural products from farmers to consumers. This stage is highly dependent on good infrastructure, efficient energy and secure transportation systems. Consumer awareness and behavior is important to drive the direction of agricultural production and distribution. In this session, panelists will explore policies and innovative technologies at this stage of the value chain, designed to reduce the losses that occur while storing and distributing agricultural goods along the way, but also the importance of IP branding strategies in shaping consumer behavior and encouraging responsible consumption.

Moderator and Panelists

Photo: Mr. Stephen Mbithi Mwikya — **Speaker: Mr. Stephen Mbithi Mwikya**
Secretary, Blue Economy Resources, Cabinet Affairs Office, Nairobi, Kenya

Photo:Silvia Salazar Fallas — **Speaker: Ms. Silvia Salazar Fallas**
Legal Adviser, PROINNOVA, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

Photo: Ms. Florence Tartanac — **Speaker: Ms. Florence Tartanac**
Senior Officer, Food and Nutrition Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

Photo of Mr. Asahi Suzuki — **Case study: Mr. Asahi Suzuki**
Managing Director, Agricultural Administration Division, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yamagata Prefectural Government, Yamagata, Japan

Concluding Dialogue on opportunities for the future (17.15 – 18.00)

Selected panelists from previous sessions will highlight some key messages and will share additional reflections on the main debates held during the Conference.

Moderator and Panelists

Photo: Elcio Perpétuo Guimarães — **Speaker: Mr. Elcio Perpétuo Guimarães**

Photo: Mr. Hans Adu-Dapaah — **Speaker: Mr. Hans Adu-Dapaah**

Closing

Hasan Kleib
WIPO Deputy Director General, Regional and National Development Sector

International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development

IP and Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture

April 24, 2023

Find out more

Program

Registration and welcoming (8.30 – 9.30)

Welcoming remarks (9.30 – 9.40)

Welcome address

Introductory Panel: IP as an Incentive for Sustainable Agriculture (9.40 – 10.30)

Moderator and Panelists

Panel 1: Agricultural land and inputs – Preparing the ground (11.00 – 12.30)

Moderator and Panelists

Panel 2: Cultivation and Harvesting – Producing the crop (14.00 – 15.30)

Moderator and Panelists

Panel 3: Storing, Distribution and Consumption – From farming to commercializing (15.45 – 17.15)

Moderator and Panelists

Concluding Dialogue on opportunities for the future (17.15 – 18.00)

Moderator and Panelists

Closing

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Reference