Results of a Recent Study and Consultation on IPR Best Practices for Public Cultivar Development.

Plant breeders play a critical role in determining the future of agriculture.  In particular, plant breeders in the public sector often focus on minor crops, cover crops, perennial crops, and regions and farming systems that are under-served by the private sector.  This diversity of crop species and cultivars creates a more resilient agricultural landscape that buffers against the increasing climactic and economic fluctuations of the 21^st century.  Yet plant breeding in the public sector is in a current state of crisis due to lack of sufficient funding to support this public good.  In addition, the increasing use of restrictive IPR limits public plant breeders’ access to useful germplasm necessary for the development of useful cultivars.  Public plant breeders have an opportunity to address this challenge by working with their universities and technology licensing offices to reduce the restrictive nature of their licensing agreements, especially for germplasm exchange with other public programs, and by redistributing royalty money allocations to increase support directly for cultivar development.