Fellows’ Projects
New Markets Lab Agricultural Law Fellowship: 2024 witnessed the inaugural NML-funded Agricultural Law Fellowship focused on supporting NML’s agricultural programs in Africa. The fellow works directly and closely with NML’s Agricultural Programs Coordinator, Adron Naggayi Nalinya, providing research and logistical support to NML. NML’s first Agricultural Law Fellow produced research on seed regulatory systems in Tanzania and Kenya, farmers’ rights in Kenya, and regional registration of plant varieties. The fellow also supported NML during fieldwork, helping to conduct and participate in stakeholder consultations. This immersion in fieldwork and desktop research contributes to NML’s mission to build capacity across lawyers in various jurisdictions, providing the fellow with experience in the roles of governments, civil society, and lawmakers in legal design and implementation and its contributions to sustainable development and regulatory systems.
Testimonial by Lynette Ngila: The agricultural law fellowship program at New Markets Lab has been incredibly enriching. I gained a deeper understanding of agricultural law and policy, particularly how these elements shape the business environment. One of the most valuable aspects of the program was learning to understand the critical link between law, policy, and how seed businesses operate in Africa. It provided me with a clearer perspective on how regulatory frameworks and policy decisions directly influence the way seed businesses navigate challenges, grow, and interact with local and international markets. The program has not only expanded my knowledge but also equipped me with the tools to analyze and understand the complexities of the agricultural sector.
Harvard Law School Independent Clinic: For several years, New Markets Lab President Professor Katrin Kuhlmann led a three-week independent clinic with Harvard Law School (HLS) students focused on the relationship between entrepreneurship and trade. Students were able to see firsthand the impact of the economic legal and regulatory environment on development and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Each program started with a Washington D.C.-based workshop covering aspects of trade, investment, and economic law. Through field experience in Tanzania, the independent clinic then exposed HLS students to the role of government, NGOs, small businesses, and international institutions in interacting with and shaping the enabling environment to encourage economic and agricultural development and food security at the grassroots level.
Testimonial by Alix Boberg (LL.M ’15): I left Tanzania with memories of cloves, tomato farms and Masai warriors. But my experience with New Markets Lab also impressed on me a greater appreciation of how trade lawyers can assist development far beyond concessions in a trade agreement [...] Trade is practice – the collective practice of enterprises working together in a value chain to reach markets locally and overseas. Trade lawyers and policy makers can and should connect high-level policies to that practice and thereby demonstrate their development commitment to countries around the world.
