Plant-based chemicals could be boon for Africa.

• Author: Kung, Stephanie
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

In July, the Ethiopian government signed an agreement allowing a British biotechnology firm to commercialize the oilseed plant vernonia as a renewable source of industrial chemicals. Long dismissed by farmers as a nuisance shrub, vernonia (also known as ironweed) is considered a potential replacement for petroleum in a variety of industrial uses. The plant's shiny black seeds produce an oil rich in epoxies, which can be used to manufacture bio-based paints, adhesives, and plastic products.

Though it has been grown successfully in a variety of locations, vernonia thrives naturally within 20 degrees of the Equator and has been particularly prolific in Ethiopia. The new commercialization deal, which took place under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity's Access and Benefit Sharing Agreement, gives the British company Vernique Biotech access to the plant for the next 10 years. In exchange, the Ethiopian government will receive royalty payments and profit shares, while hundreds of...