Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are part of the foundation of agriculture and of central importance to food sovereignty. These gain an increasingly pivotal role in the context of climate crises, which are threatening predictable crop production, and the erosion of...

We evaluate the effects of the rise of common ownership in the U.S. seed sector. Using a theoretical model, we illustrate how common ownership changes the nature of competition among firms. Our empirical analysis shows that, even when taking measures to fully separate the effects of market...

This paper presents an analysis of the seeds of the recent debt crisis that occurred in the Eurozone area using a variant of Fleming and Stein model [2004. “Stochastic Optimal Control, International Finance and Debt.” Journal of Banking and Finance, 28: 979–996]. This model has two risk...

Productivity and efficiency are key performance indicators of improved seeds. Efficiency differences explain part of the variation in productivity. Improved seeds may affect efficiency because farmers often do not apply inputs at optimum. Improved seeds therefore not only directly affect...

"A deeply researched and eye-opening history that shows how Monsanto came to have outsized influence over our food system. This is the definitive history of Monsanto, a St. Louis chemical firm that became the world's largest genetically engineered seed enterprise. Monsanto merged with German...

Risk often inhibits on-farm investment by smallholder farmers. Recent evidence indicates that index insurance and stress tolerant seeds can separately and partially offset this risk effect. In this study, we explore whether the complementarities between these two risk management technologies can...

Pervasive use of poor quality seed remains an important reason for low yields throughout the developing world. We explore cost-effective ways to increase the quality of the local stock of seed tubers among a sample of Ugandan potato farmers. We do this by providing agricultural extension...

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions put in place by governments to protect their people have the potential to restrict the production, certification and international trade of seed with serious consequences for farmers and the global food chain. Although most spring and autumn seed had...

The concept of Farmers’ Rights recognized the role of farmers as custodians of biodiversity and helped to draw attention to the need to preserve practices that are essential for sustainable agriculture. This paper examines one particular aspect of such rights, perhaps the most controversial....

The wild success of a few online community-produced knowledge goods, notably Wikipedia, has obscured the fact that most attempts at forming online communities fail. A large body of work analyses motivations behind user contributions to successful, online communities but less is known, however,...

The gap between demand for and supply of food in Ethiopia can be reduced by improving farm productivity through the introduction of productivity-enhancing technologies. Conversely, in Ethiopia, the adoption rates of agricultural technologies remain below the expected levels. Hence, by using...

Marigold (Tagetes) is of importance both as a decorative plant and plant used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, with recognized medicinal properties. This paper presents a scientific approach to the methods required forthe analysis of the economic efficiency of marigold seed culture...

Financing innovative, high-growth ventures are difficult given their reliance on intangible knowledge-based assets, high probabilities of failure and asymmetries between entrepreneurs and financiers. Venture capitalists have developed systems over time to cope with this uncertainty and...

In drug R&D, there are big challenges today. Big pharma is struggling with a drying up of the pipeline and neglected diseases do not attract much drug development effort. India faces a different challenge not often discussed: it has not yet brought out a single widely used new drug. This is...

This paper offers a new perspective on a fundamental issue of venture capital investments, i.e., the so-called black box of involvement that concerns the paucity of relevant information necessary for venture capital managers to evaluate investments properly. Our paper discusses the application...

Chapter 1 The core dilemma – seed sovereignty and globalisation -- Chapter 2 Understanding sovereignty in a globalised world -- Chapter 3 Seed sovereignty and globalisation -- Chapter 4 Kenya – A hyperglobalised seed law -- Chapter 5 Ethiopia – A transformationalist seed law -- Chapter 6...