Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS)

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Resource Pointer #328 (Global Trade and Agriculture)
July 9, 2003

For copies of the following resources, please contact the appropriate publishers or organizations directly.

*Sui Generis Systems for Plant Variety Protection, 2002, Biswajit Dhar; Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property, 2001, Carlos Correa; Trade, Intellectual Property, Food and Biodiversity, 1999, Geoff Tansey* 3 titles in a series of papers discussing Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) associated with WTO policy and the implications on food and agriculture worldwide. Available for free download at: http://www.geneva.quno.info/main/publication.php?pid=113. Contact Quaker United Nations Office, Quaker House, Avenue de Mervelet 13, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland; phone (41 22) 748-4800; fax (41 22) 748-4819; email bgrace@quno.ch; Web site http://www.geneva.quno.info/.

*Banana Split, 2002* Video. Follows the life of bananas, from a farm in Honduras to a Canadian supermarket. Discusses the popularity of the banana worldwide and the social, environmental, and health impacts of its development into a globalized crop. 47 minutes. US$29.98. Contact Shebadowan Films, Shebandowan Films Inc., 25 High St. North, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7A 5R1; phone (807) 345-0221; fax (807) 345-0221; email shebafilms@shaw.ca; Web site http://www.shebafilms.com/.

*Intellectual Property Rights in African Agriculture: Implications for Small Farmers, 2002* Devlin Kuyek. Describes historic processes of agricultural innovation in Africa accomplished through a collective community process in contrast to the current emergence of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). Argues that African countries are being forced to choose between research and development rooted in traditional knowledge and sharing amongst farmers or controlled by transnational corporations. 19 pages. Available for free download at http://www.grain.org/publications/africa-ipr-2002-en.cfm. Contact Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN), Girona 25, pral., E-08010, Barcelona, Spain; phone (43 93) 301-1381; fax (34 93) 301-1627; email grain@grain.org; Web site http://www.grain.org/.

*The World is Not for Sale: Farmers Against Junk Food, 2001* José Bové and François Dufour. Interviews Bové, leader of the progressive Farmer’s Confederation arrested for dismantling a McDonald’s in retaliation to US agricultural tariffs. Highlights issues relevant to the globalization of agriculture including the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the threat to biodiversity, seed patenting and its effect on rural agricultural development, and the consequences of food export subsidies. 222 pages. US$16. Contact Verso, 180 Varick Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY, 10014-4606; phone (212) 807-9680; fax (212) 807-9152; email versony@versobooks.com; Web site http://www.versobooks.com/.

*Global Restructuring: Agri-Food Systems and Livelihoods, 2001* Michael Pimbert, John Thompson, William Vorley, Tom Fox, Nazneen Kanji, and Cecelia Tacoli. Looks at the impacts of increasingly globalized and industrialized food system and the concentration of power in a few transnational organizations. Suggests research themes for policy to develop democratic and environmentally sustainable food and agricultural systems. 24 pages. Available for free download at http://www.iied.org/sarl/gatekeepers/gk_abs/abs91_100.html#100. Contact Earthprint Ltd, Orders Department, P.O. Box 119, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 4TP, United Kingdom; phone (44 0143) 874-8111; fax (44 0143) 874-8844; email orders@earthprint.com; Web site http://www.earthprint.com/show.htm.

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