To get a patent in the United States, the Patent Act requires patent applicants to include enough written information that a person of ordinary skill in the art could make and use the invention. This description, commonly known as “enablement,” is an essential component of the intellectual property system, which aims to create an incentive to innovate while delivering the benefits of the innovation to the public. With biological materials, a person may need access to the physical biological material the inventor has created in order to make and use it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today introduced new resources to help local and regional food systems leaders prepare and respond to disruptions to their food systems. Through the Local and Regional Food System (LRFS) Recovery and Resilience project USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) worked with university and community partners to document local and regional food systems’ responses to disruptions including the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme climate events.