Abstract
Sustained growth in Kenya's agricultural sector is the main driver of economic
development hence the focus of the sector as one of the key economic pillars in the Vision 2030 and the Agricultural Sector Development Strategies. Diversification through protecting products using geographical indications (GIs) is an opportunity for increasing rural incomes. A scoping study was conducted as a first step towards identifying Kenyan origin products that have potential to be registered as GIs. Before identifying the products, a selection criterion was developed from literature and interaction with key informants. Potential products and their production regions were then identified based on the perceived
uniqueness from similar products from different production regions. Eleven products were identified, namely tea, coffee, apple and ngowe mangoes, oranges, avocadoes, pyrethrum, koriema goats, tilapia from Busia, Baobab and wild silk. Relevant stakeholders were identified with help from key informants in the different sub-sectors. The informants were interviewed either individually or through focus group discussion comprising of producers and few traders. Traders in the urban markets were also interviewed. Each product was then subjected to the selection criteria developed. From the criteria, tea, koriema goats, coffee, tilapia fish and Makueni apple mangoes were ranked highest. The
criteria provide a combination of factors to consider, in establishing the potential success of GI protection. The analysis points to the relevance of future research on the quality of origin products and institutional regimes for geographical indications in Kenya.
development hence the focus of the sector as one of the key economic pillars in the Vision 2030 and the Agricultural Sector Development Strategies. Diversification through protecting products using geographical indications (GIs) is an opportunity for increasing rural incomes. A scoping study was conducted as a first step towards identifying Kenyan origin products that have potential to be registered as GIs. Before identifying the products, a selection criterion was developed from literature and interaction with key informants. Potential products and their production regions were then identified based on the perceived
uniqueness from similar products from different production regions. Eleven products were identified, namely tea, coffee, apple and ngowe mangoes, oranges, avocadoes, pyrethrum, koriema goats, tilapia from Busia, Baobab and wild silk. Relevant stakeholders were identified with help from key informants in the different sub-sectors. The informants were interviewed either individually or through focus group discussion comprising of producers and few traders. Traders in the urban markets were also interviewed. Each product was then subjected to the selection criteria developed. From the criteria, tea, koriema goats, coffee, tilapia fish and Makueni apple mangoes were ranked highest. The
criteria provide a combination of factors to consider, in establishing the potential success of GI protection. The analysis points to the relevance of future research on the quality of origin products and institutional regimes for geographical indications in Kenya.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | African Journal of Intellectual Property |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 164-191 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| ISSN | 2520-3304 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2018 |
