African nations are often prevented from exploiting advances in agricultural technology such as plant breeding and genetic engineering by complex intellectual property arrangements that restrict their access to scientific tools.

In this article, Erik Stokstad reports on the creation later this year of a foundation that could help overcome this barrier: the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), an organisation that will act as a clearing-house and technology broker for African agriculture.

Based in Nairobi, and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the US Agency for International Development, the new foundation will help match companies with African researchers, negotiate intellectual property agreements and provide advice on regulation.

Link to Science article

Reference: Science 299, 1825 (2003)