Expertise on origin products public policies
In the context of globalisation, increase of trade relations and enlargement of WTO to new countries, origin products from all around the world can take advantage of being marketed and valued as such on international markets. In order to develop exportations and to implement strategies for poverty reduction, developing and emergent countries have to develop approaches in favour of quality promotion against mass production of standard and low income generating products. Often, rural traditional products (agricultural, food and artisan) are real “collective wealth” for rural territories.
In order for local populations, often living in rural marginal areas, to have a better access to markets and to enhance the value of their territorial products for their own benefit, it is decisive to protect the denominations and processes leading to the elaboration of these products. Internationally recognised procedures exist: Geographic Indications are recognized by the TRIPS (Trade related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights)Agreement in the frame of the WTO and can be protected as such whereas denominations of origin are more restrictive.
ACTIVITIES
Geographical Indications legal aspects
Geographical Indications are an intellectual property tool, which allows to preserve the production of traditional products with a strong link to their territory of origin through an automatic protection of the related property rights. The specific know-how, linked to marginal areas ecosystems, are thus protected from unfair competition and agricultural intensification through an appropriate valorisation. GIs intellectual property is one of the tool of this valorisation.
We provide national stakeholders with technical and juridical advice on the legal basis of intellectual property protection. We may also support law drafting and implementation process.
Geographical Indications recognition system
Actually, enterprises exploiting GI products do not have access to the same level of protection: the way institutions are built varies from one country to another. Therefore, denominations’ protection efficiency depends on the institutional registration system.
We propose advice to set up the registration procedures and trainings for the public administration employees in charge of the GI recognition system. We also provide feasibility studies for potential GIs products, with an identification of all related stakeholders and projects.
Inventory work/ terroir link qualification /global awareness
There is not any international register providing a list of the traditional names and denominations that may deserve a protection. In order to promote biodiversity conservation, cultural and culinary heritage, AGRIDEA provides methodology to identify those products and denominations. The aim is to compare the different possibilities offered by a geographic denomination protection with the food chain current problems according to the gathered information.
Control and certification
How to establish a credible control system in a transitional period taking into account the low financial capacities of most of the producers in developing countries? Control and certification possibilities vary according to the existing organisational frames, the juridical dispositions.
On the basis of our experiences in Switzerland and Europe, we offer support for the creation of national/local certification body. We also provide support and technical advice for the implementation of traceability and certification systems within specific supply chains, for a specific products.
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS:
CONTACTS
Magali Esteve magali.esteve ( at ) agridea.ch
Sophie Réviron sophie.réviron@agridea.ch
