“This paper has highlighted how the protection of farmers’ and community rights in the plant variety protection legislation can help in terms of achieving agro-biodiversity conservation and enrichment, food security, national security and poverty reduction. The paper has also highlighted some of the major ways in which the farmers’ and community rights can be protected in the
proposed Plant Variety protection law. In Uganda’s current circumstances, the protection of plant breeders’ rights
without the recognition and protection of farmers’ and community rights will not mean much for the country. In fact, Uganda would be better off not having a plant variety protection legislation than having one which provides for protection of plant varieties through intellectual property rights without
protecting farmers’ and community rights.”
