Agricultural investment activities in the Beira Corridor, Mozambique: threats and opportunities for small-scale farmers

Kaleidoscopio, in partnership with the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and Mozambican National Peasants Union (UNAC) released in October 2015 a research report on peasants, seeds and soil fertility in Mozambique. The report focuses on agricultural investment in Beira Corridor and seed system in Mozambique.

The report suggests that in a country where most seeds are still reproduced by farmers themselves, Plant Variety Protection (PVP) laws inhibit farmers from reproducing protected seed varieties, even if these varieties are blended with varieties farmers have nurtured and reproduced historically. The report suggests that a dual system of certification could work better, but this approach would be constrained by impositions such as the Arusha Protocol, passed in July 2015 by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO). Of the 18 Member States, Mozambique is one of the four countries that signed the Arusha Protocol.

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