small-scale farmers supported with global agreements

For eleven years, American company Burke International fought to hold the trademark rights for the name rooibos tea. In February 2004 the American Botanical Council (ABC) issued an “Expert Opinion” on the subject, concluding that rooibos is a generic and common name for the plant material found in international commerce since at least 1962 and sold in the United States for at least four decades. In 2005, the dispute was settled, much to the relief of South African producers. (If you are interested in the legal side of this story, here are a number of related case studies.)

Though the rooibos case seems to have ended on a positive note, the greed and audacity of Burke International makes me sick. So here's some news from Ethiopia showing that global trade isn't all bad (article reproduced from Spore, February 2007 Edition):

The Ethiopian government and a British company, Vernique Biotech, have signed a deal to market an oleaginous plant which Ethiopian farmers have traditionally dismissed as a weed. The shiny black seeds of the Vernonia galamensis contain vernonia oil, a non-polluting alternative to epoxy which is used in the manufacture of paints and plastics. Epoxy is made from oil, and in common with other petrochemical products, its constantly rising price offers opportunities for natural substitutes.

Vernonia has the advantage of growing in the dry valleys of Ethiopia, where soils are too poor to grow food crops. Prized in traditional medicine for its many properties, this drought resistant plant is part of Ethiopia’s natural heritage. By recognising the Ethiopians’ claim to this plant, the deal signed with the British firm is one of the first to embody the equity principles of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2004, a Dutch company signed a similar agreement with Ethiopia to market teff (Eragrostis tef), a local cereal. Vernique Biotech will pay royalties to the government and will give it a share of the profits over the next 10 years. Cultivation of vernonia began in 2004. One hectare yields 1 to 2 t of vernonia oil. The plantations, maintained by hundreds of farmers, are expected to be gradually extended to cover an area of several hundred hectares.

In the long term, the company plans to market the oil for pharmaceutical purposes.