Indigenous Women’s Medicinal Knowledge, Biopiracy, and Intellectual Property Rights

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 127–140

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001354

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Indigenous Women’s Medicinal Knowledge, Biopiracy, and Intellectual Property Rights

Names of Author: Namukolo Banda¹, Ximena Quispe-Mamani², & Claire Moreau-Dupont³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; ²Institute of Ethnobotany and Indigenous Studies, National University of San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru; ³Faculty of Law, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.

Abstract:
Across rural Africa and Latin America, Indigenous women serve as primary custodians of ethnobotanical and medicinal plant knowledge, preserving biodiversity and providing essential primary healthcare for their communities. However, multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetic corporations frequently extract indigenous plant genetics and traditional healing formulations without free, prior, and informed consent, securing exclusive patents while offering no royalties or recognition to female knowledge-holders. Existing Western intellectual property regimes prioritize individual corporate authorship over collective, intergenerational communal knowledge. This paper examines the gendered politics of biopiracy and traditional knowledge protection in Zambia and Peru. Anchored in decolonial feminist jurisprudence and Indigenous knowledge systems, the research draws on interviews with 40 female traditional healers and intellectual property attorneys. We argue for sui generis community patent frameworks and women-led biodiversity registers to safeguard indigenous epistemic sovereignty.

Keywords: Indigenous medicinal knowledge, biopiracy, intellectual property rights, decolonial jurisprudence, ethnobotany, women healers, biodiversity, Zambia

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 28, 2026; Revised: October 27, 2026; Accepted: October 31, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Banda, N., Quispe-Mamani, X., & Moreau-Dupont, C. (2026). Indigenous Women’s Medicinal Knowledge, Biopiracy, and Intellectual Property Rights. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 127–140. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001354

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