Bio Prospecting Experience in Ethiopia

1. Bio Prospecting Experience in Ethiopia Presented By Mesfin Bayou Legal Consultant Regional ABS Capacity-Building Workshop for Eastern and Southern African Oct. 2-6, 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. Agreement on access to, and sharing benefit from Teff genetic resources 1. The Agreement was concluded on : December, 2004 2. Type of Genetic resource Eragrostis tef, a crop species of Ethiopian origin and having various attributes of interest to the food industry.

3. 3. Parties to the Agreement Ø Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (national competent authority) Ø Agricultural Research Organization (national technical institution, coordinates national agricultural research on Teff ) And • ØHealth and Performance Food International by. (HPFI), of the Netherlands • Ø       developed new applications of Teff for producing Teff-based food and beverage products

4. Scope of access Øfor developing non-traditional Teff based food and beverage products • does not include purposes of developing chemical, pharmaceutical etc. products , unless explicit written consent is given for that • does not include access to traditional knowledge on conservation, cultivation and use of Teff,unless explicit written agreement is made

5. Traditional uses of Teff • teff Injera (pan-cake) • teff bread • tela (local beer) • source of rich iron food

6. Benefit sharing • Øannually royalty of 30% of the net profit from sale of teff seeds • Ø  5% royalty on the net profit from teff products, which shall not be less than 20,000 Euro per year, to the Financial Resource Support for Teff development (improving the living conditions of local farming communities and developing Teff business in Ethiopia) • Ø share research results, knowledge or technologies, except undisclosed information • Ø involving Ethiopian scientists (EARO) in teff research • Ø Soliciting funding that will augment Teff fund • Ø contribution to national economy (establish profitable Teff businesses in Ethiopia, such as, Teff farming, cleaning and milling ,bakeries, etc. through joint ventures with Ethiopian counterparts) • Ø acknowledging Ethiopia as the source of Teff.

7. Contribution to poverty alleviation • establishment of profitable Teff businesses in Ethiopia, such as, Teff farming, cleaning and milling enterprises, bakeries, etc. Øbetter income for teff producing communities Øemployment opportunities

8. Lessons learned • - abs negotiating administration skill development • - knowledge (information) on market potential of intended products • - information on benefit sharing experiences

9. Changes Required • Local level • involve communities in ABS Administration

10. National Level • Øenhanced awareness of stakeholders • Øenhanced participation of stakeholders • Øenhanced technical capacity of national competent authority • Øenhanced coordination and communication b/n stakeholders • Øenhanced access to ABS information and experiences

11. International Level • user country compliance measures Ørequirement of PIC from origin upon introduction of GR Ørequirement of PIC upon application for IP