Good research is vital for forming effective policies; this can come from a variety of organizations. What types of research and knowledge are most effective in policymaking processes, and how do relationships become established between researchers and policymakers?
This study from Practical Action, UK and the Overseas Development Institute, UK, explores the links between knowledge, research, and civil society campaigns. The researchers focus on a twenty-year period of development and negotiations on the Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture policy. The research examines the effectiveness of two research categories: polemical materials produced by non-governmental organizations and scientific and technical research produced by specialist academics and institutes.
The study identifies five "transition episodes" between 1981 and 2001. These episodes created the momentum for the policy process, concluding in an international agreement agreed in 2001, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture--is also known as the International Seed Treaty.
Stuart Coupe is International Projects Manager in the Practical Action Programme on Reducing Vulnerability, with a background in African Studies.
Roger Lewins was formerly a Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth and is now an independent consultant in the field of development research. He currently specializes in natural resource management and policy in the developing world.
Contents: Acknowledgements; Acronyms; Contributors; Introduction; 1) The Need for the International Seed Treaty; 2) The History of the IT PGRFA; 3) The Treaty and its Ratification; 4) Key Factors in the Policy Process; 5) Continuing Threats to Genetic Diversity and the Seed Treaty’s Objectives; 6) Conclusion; References; Bibliography.
Published by Practical Action Stuart Coupe , Roger Lewins October 2007 64 pp., 8 1/2" x 11 3/4", figures
Negotiating the Seed Treaty 
Good research is vital for forming effective policies; this can come from a variety of organizations. What types of research and knowledge are most effective in policymaking processes, and how do relationships become established between researchers and policymakers?