NEW MARKETS LAB

In 2024, the New Markets Lab (NML) partnered with new and existing organizations to further its mission of advancing the spread of sustainable and equitable commercial agriculture to the benefit of small farmers and communities and leveraging law and regulation as a tool to advance economic and social development in an evolving global market.International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): In 2024, NML continued its collaboration with IFPRI under the CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow/Seed Equal Research Initiative. The Initiative aims to support the delivery of seed of improved, climate-resilient, market-preferred and nutritious varieties of priority crops that embody a high rate of genetic gain to farmers, ensuring equitable access for women and other disadvantaged groups. NML designed and documented an empirical mapping methodology for cross-country analysis of seed regulatory systems, structured around four core domains: (i) public varietal research, development, and transfer; (ii) seed variety registration and release; (iii) seed certification and quality assurance; and (iv) seed trade. The resulting comparative study featured Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda for the Agricultural Systems Special Issue on Designing, Assessing and Scaling Approaches for Integrated Seed Sector Development (Walter de Boef, ed.). Using the methodology, NML conducted and expanded comparative assessments for Kenya, Tanzania, covering four domains: (i) public varietal research, development, and transfer; (ii) seed variety registration and release; (iii) seed certification and quality assurance; and (iv) seed trade. NML also added and significantly updated maps for Kenya and Tanzania and refreshed previously developed maps to reflect current statutes, regulations, and institutional practice.International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMYYT): In 2024, NML partnered with CIMMYT, an international CGIAR Research Center, focused on creating a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agri-food system (under the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Cereals in Africa (AVISA) Project, now the Dryland Legumes and Cereals Project). NML developed a suite of legal toolsincluding model licensing agreements, annotated guides, and customized frameworks for Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzaniathat provide national agricultural research and extension services (NARES) with the practical foundation to operationalize licensing. Building on these tools, NML delivered targeted capacity building workshops in Ghana and Tanzania, strengthening institutional capacity to apply licensing concepts, comply with plant breeders rights and other relevant laws, and align with regional approaches across sub-Saharan Africa.Consortium Independent Study on Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions: In 2024, NML wrapped up its work under the independent, partly self-funded study with a consortium of partners including AWS and SIA, entitled The MSME Moratorium: Stories from MSMEs in South Africa and Kenya on the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions. The study relied on extensive fieldwork carried out in Kenya and South Africa to evaluate the potential effects of the Moratoriums expiration on micro-, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). The findings underscore the importance of inclusive trade policymaking, engaging stakeholders in consultations, and considering the voices of MSMEs in crafting new trade rules that affect digital trade.Nathan Associates LLC (now Cadmus Group LLC): In 2024, the Cadmus Group re-engaged the NML team to work on a project focused on analyzing the gender impacts of legal and policy changes that resulted from the implementation of the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA). Under the project, NML was tasked with generating evidence at the national level, developing a research brief to inform and guide future activities of the Trade and Gender Incubator, and equipping government officials and trade negotiators with practicable information about priority gender issues that could be used to inform future trade agreements. Cornell University: In 2024, NML continued its work on a project with Cornell, Feed the Future, and the broader international development community on management of intellectual assets developed under federally funded projects. The project was co-led through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement (ILCI) based at Cornell. Based on analysis, interviews, and case studies, the study highlighted common challenges in intellectual asset management, scaling, and dissemination, leading to recommendations on how to strengthen agricultural technology dissemination and scaling and suggestions for developing a tailored U.S. framework on management of agricultural technology. The findings of the study were presented at a conference in Spring of 2024. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Texas A&M Universitys Center for Education Technologies (TAMU): Building on its collaboration with USDA and TAMU to develop a companion toolkit to the WTO Standards and Trade and Development Facility (STDF) Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) toolkit on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, NML led a series of workshops to test the digitized GRP SPS tool 2024. The workshops were attended by about 300 stakeholders in Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Gabon, and Botswana, including regulators from SPS regulatory agencies and the private sector.