As the 113th Edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (ZAS) roared to life on 28 August 2023, the ARIPO exhibition booth also came alive with people from different persuasions showing eagerness to understand more about intellectual property (IP).
The six-day-long ZAS exhibition is an annual event mainly targeting the agricultural sector. This dynamic allowed the ARIPO team to interact with many players in the agricultural industry and the agro value chain from 28 August 2023 to 2 September 2023.
ARIPO is mandated to protect the IP interests of farmers, plant breeders and other players in agriculture through the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. Plant Varieties Protection (PVP) involves the protection of breeders’ rights and applies to all plant genera and species. PVP allows farmers to access a wide range of improved varieties to contribute to the attainment of food security and economic development.
As the Arusha Protocol is still pending implementation, ARIPO continues engagements with stakeholders at all levels to ensure a thorough consolidation of concerns for the benefit of Member States as the eventual end users.
Additionally, ZAS also provided a unique platform to promote ARIPO and its achievements for and within Zimbabwe, as well as market IP products and services among the local business community, small-to-medium enterprises, innovation hubs of local universities, polytechnical colleges, school science clubs, and other research and development institutions.