Abstract for: Making the value chain work – analysing the impact of Intellectual Property Management on seed sector development in W Africa

The role of Intellectual Property Management in facilitating the agricultural transformation process in developing countries is unknown and discussed in a very controversial way. This paper conceptualises a framework for assessing the impact of Intellectual Property Management on the seed sector in West Africa. At the core of such assessment is a system dynamics model that describes the dynamics of a seed value chain. We use data from interviews with multinational seed companies, research institutions and private sector actors in Ghana for developing a conceptual simulation model and for specifying the impact assessment framework. Different scenarios are to be established to test a variety of Intellectual Property policies. The interviews we conducted suggest that there is local demand for such an overview analysis and the discussions we had about our approach indicated an immediate contribution to the understanding of the entire seed system.