Dr Kamalesh Adhikari

Research Fellow

School of Law
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law
k.adhikari@law.uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 59104

Overview

Dr Kamalesh Adhikari is Research Fellow with the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods and Associate Research Fellow with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture at the TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland. His current research focusses on socio-legal issues and concerns associated with the collection, use, and circulation of native and indigenous plants, including traditional knowledge. At the ARC Centre, he coordinates the development of relationships and agreements between several partners, involving plant scientists, Industry, and Indigenous Enterprises. He is also a research partner in the Research Council of Norway and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute's Suitable Seeds Project which explores the role that intellectual property has played in shaping the history and practices of gene and seed banks. Dr Adhikari is also undertaking a critical account of the concept of farmers’ rights in intellectual property law. Dr Adhikari previously worked as an AIBE Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Business and Economics (AIBE) and as Research Director at South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment. He has undertaken collaborative research with a number of institutions including Consumers International and the Southeast Asian Council for Food Security and Fair Trade (Malaysia), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (Italy and Nepal), Fridtjof Nansen Institute and the Development Fund (Norway), International Development Research Centre and International Institute for Sustainable Development (Canada), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Pakistan), Consumer Unity and Trust Society and Green Foundation (India), Oxfam Novib and Wageningen University (The Netherlands), United Nations Development Programme (Nepal and Sri Lanka), and Institute of Policy Studies and Law and Society Trust (Sri Lanka).

Research Interests

  • Intellectual Property Law and Food Security
  • Food security, biodiversity and farmers' rights
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • Law and Science & Technology Studies
  • Regulation, Society and Development

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Publications

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2022). The control and freedom of seed banks. TROPAG International Agriculture Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 31 October - 2 November 2022.

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2022). Landraces and Indigenous Plants: The Question of Legal Categories and Protection . Sixth Scientific Meeting on Exploring the World of Crop Landraces, Greece, 1 June 2022. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh, Azevedo, Vania, Bebeli, Penelope J., Chatzigeorgiou, Alexandra, Gálvez, Amanda, Guarino, Luigi, Kotey, Daniel Ashie, Paczka, Rafael Ortega, Ranieri, Roberto, Spyrou, Sofia, Thanopoulos, Ricos and Valamoti, Soultana Maria (2022). The Thessaloniki Declaration: We save landraces – we use landraces. Thessaloniki, Greece:

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Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

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Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Perera, Asanka and Adhikari, Kamalesh (2020). From neglect to protection: recognising the importance of farmers’ varieties in Sri Lanka. Intellectual property law and plant protection: challenges and developments in Asia. (pp. 161-176) edited by Kamalesh Adhikari and David J. Jefferson. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429059520-9

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh and Jefferson, David J. (2020). Intellectual property law for plant varieties: challenges and developments in Asia. Intellectual property law and plant protection: challenges and developments in Asia. (pp. 1-11) edited by Kamalesh Adhikari and David J. Jefferson. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429059520-1

  • Rana, Muhammad Ahsan and Adhikari, Kamalesh (2020). Policy, politics, and implications of Pakistan’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act. Intellectual property law and plant protection: challenges and developments in Asia. (pp. 104-123) edited by Kamalesh Adhikari and David J. Jefferson. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429059520-6

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2020). What does it mean to protect farmers’ varieties as intellectual property?. Intellectual property law and plant protection: challenges and developments in Asia. (pp. 177-205) edited by Kamalesh Adhikari and David J. Jefferson. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429059520-10

  • Lawson, Charles and Adhikari, Kamalesh (2018). Biodiversity, genetic resources and intellectual property. Biodiversity, genetic resources and intellectual property: developments in access and benefit sharing. (pp. 1-8) edited by Charles Lawson and Kamalesh Adhikari. New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315098517-1

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2018). Reconceptualizing access: moving beyond the limits of international biodiversity laws. Biodiversity, genetic resources and intellectual property: developments in access and benefit sharing. (pp. 9-32) edited by Charles Lawson and Kamalesh Adhikari. New York, NY United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315098517-2

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2015). Regional seed bank and material transfer arrangements in South Asia. Making growth inclusive, just and sustainable in South Asia. (pp. 147-153) edited by Abid Suleri and Vaqar Ahmed. Islamabad, Pakistan: Sustainable Development Policy Institute.

  • Tone, Winge, Adhikari, Kamalesh and Andersen, Regine (2013). Advocacy for farmers’ rights in Nepal. Realising farmers’ rights to crop genetic resources: success stories and best practices. (pp. 181-194) edited by Regine Andersen and Tone Winge. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Paudyal, Bikash, Adhikari, Kamalesh, Shrestha, Pitambar and Tamang, Bir (2012). Nepal: innovative mechanisms for putting farmers’ rights into practice. The custodians of biodiversity: sharing access and benefit sharing of genetic resources. (pp. 135-162) edited by Manuel Ruiz and Ronnie Vernooy. London, United Kingdom: Earthscan.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2022). The control and freedom of seed banks. TROPAG International Agriculture Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 31 October - 2 November 2022.

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2022). Landraces and Indigenous Plants: The Question of Legal Categories and Protection . Sixth Scientific Meeting on Exploring the World of Crop Landraces, Greece, 1 June 2022. The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

  • Chen, Gengning, Cozzolino, Daniel, Netzel, Michael E., Olarte Mantilla, Sandra, Adhikari, Kamalesh and Sultanbawa, Yasmina (2021). Nutritional quality and food functionality of Pleiogynium timoriense fruit. Joint virtual Workshop between The ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods (ARC ITTC UAF), Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia and The SARChI Research Programme in Phytochemical Food Network to Improve the Nutritional Quality for Consumers, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa, Virtual, 24-25 August 2021.

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2020). Questions and concerns about the protection of farmers' varieties. Farmers Rights and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Webinar II), Online, 14 September 2020. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The Plant Treaty Secretariat and the University of Aberdeen .

  • Adhikari, Kamalesh (2016). History, Growth and Implications of Formal Seed System in Nepal. South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2016.

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision