Scientific breeding in the twentieth century greatly accelerated wheat`s evolution, producing high-yielding varieties that helped avoid famine in many developing countries. Emerging scientific tools hold promise for identifying and tapping new, useful genetic diversity within wheat`s primary and secondary gene pools and, through genetic engineering, beyond.The book describes generally how policies affect wheat genetic diversity; it looks at historical changes in wheat genetic diversity, as policy and priorities have evolved; it identifies factors that explain changes and differences in spatial diversity; and finally, it analyzes the productivity impacts of changes in diversity. Chapters define various types of crop genetic diversity and ways to measure them, framing the definitions and metrics in the contexts for which they are most relevant.

Scientific breeding in the twentieth century greatly accelerated wheat`s evolution, producing high-yielding varieties that helped avoid famine in many developing countries. Emerging scientific tools hold promise for identifying and tapping new, useful genetic diversity within wheat`s primary and secondary gene pools and, through genetic engineering, beyond.The book describes generally how policies affect wheat genetic diversity; it looks at historical changes in wheat genetic diversity, as policy and priorities have evolved; it identifies factors that explain changes and differences in spatial diversity; and finally, it analyzes the productivity impacts of changes in diversity. Chapters define various types of crop genetic diversity and ways to measure them, framing the definitions and metrics in the contexts for which they are most relevant.

Farmers, Gene Banks and Crop Breeding: Economic Analyses of Diversity in Wheat, Maize, and Rice responds to concerns about the loss of valuable genetic resources and crop vulnerability arising from widespread cultivation of genetically uniform varieties. It assembles a series of applied studies focusing on the fundamental economic issues related to genetic diversity in crop species, with special reference to developing countries. By presenting the results of initial economic investigations of diversity in the world's three major food crops (wheat, maize, and rice),this volume furthers the understanding of the economic context in which crop breeders make use of genetic resources and their diversity. Farmers, Gene Banks and Crop Breeding: Economic Analyses of Diversity in Wheat, Maize, and Rice responds to current concerns about the loss of valuable genetic resources and crop vulnerability arising from the widespread cultivation of genetically uniform varieties. Previous work by economists in the study of biodiversity has been largely theoretical and has emphasized species diversity. In contrast, this book offers concrete steps in methods and conceptual development, providing an annotated catalog of the tools used to measure and value genetic diversity. The book will appeal to international agricultural research institutions, to international development organizations and NGOs, and to students and professors in departments of agricultural and resource economics who are concerned with the problem of biodiversity.

This book is the first to analyze the compliance of different types of a breeder's exception to patent rights with article 30 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. This type of exception allows using protected biological matter for breeding new varieties of plants. The breeder’s exception is widely accepted under plant variety legislation, but it is not common under patent laws despite the fact that patent rights often cover plant varieties. Only few European countries have adopted such an exception. After the entry into force of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, the exception will be mandatory for all European Union Member states. Based on a legal and economic approach, this book offers guidance to those countries that need to incorporate a breeder's exception into their national patent systems and suggests the importance of the exception for promoting plant breeding activities.