Global Challenges and Directions for Agricultural Biotechnology Workshop Report (2008) / Chapter Skim
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3 Challenges and Future Considerations in Realizing the Global Potential of Agricultural Biotechnology
3 Challenges and Future Considerations in Realizing the Global Potential of Agricultural Biotechnology
Pages 21-46
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From page 21... ...
The difficult question of which investments to address first could not be answered easily by the workshop participants. In fact, as the workshop progressed, participants identified several key challenges that seemed to require simultaneous attention if biotechnology were to be successfully introduced.
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From page 22... ...
She noted that a study by the InterAcademy Council identified four existing farm systems in Africa that have the greatest potential to increase African food security (see Box 3-1) and asserted that the nature of these crop systems needs to drive the choice of biotechnology applications rather than shaping agriculture to fit the available applications.
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From page 23... ...
The main vul nerabilities to the system are related to population pressures on natural resources, declines in trade and market share, and withdrawal from industrial crop research and extension. SOURCE: InterAcademy Council, 2004.
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A few workshop participants suggested that a genetically altered toxin-free Lathyrus -- a protein-rich legume grown in Asia -- might be of more help for small farmers; whereas the split seeds of Lathyrus are soaked overnight to clear them of toxins, the danger of toxicity is not eliminated for all its potential uses. Weeds and Labor Engineering of crops to be herbicide-tolerant reduces the amount of time spent on manual weed control, an activity that in the developing world exceeds by far any other human activity related to agriculture.
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From page 25... ...
Determining Research Needs Developing a strategy for improving agriculture requires a decision of which research directions to support. Many workshop participants felt that with regard to biotechnology, leadership in setting priorities has not been coming from the governments of developing countries nor has it been determined by the needs of subsistence farmers, as suggested by Bonjiwe Njobe.
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From page 26... ...
Workshop participants expressed a concern that in a resource-constrained environment, existing scientific efforts on important agricultural problems will be superseded by an emphasis on modern biotechnology. John Lynam, of the Rockefeller Foundation, observed that the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
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From page 27... ...
Implementing a democratic decision-making model and soliciting public participation can result in more sound decisions, the development of technologies that are locally adapted and better suited, and a bridging of the rhetorical divide surrounding agricultural biotechnology. Honest public discussions are crucial for moving technologies forward because they may reveal concerns that governments and the scientific community have not expected.
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From page 28... ...
aim to help developing countries to establish approaches and methods for biosafety assessment of genetically modified organisms. The project, described by David Andow of the University of Minnesota, was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and it brought together public-sector scientists from all over the world to help local scientists to build that capacity.
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From page 29... ...
Many workshop participants, however, expressed concern that developing countries have fallen short in that respect. As one workshop participant observed, both the advocates of biotechnology and those who are violently opposed to it may be sponsored by external sources, and the voices of the local populations most affected by the proposals for agricultural biotechnology are often unheard.
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From page 30... ...
One method that has been tried with success in Asia and in some parts of Africa, Sahai mentioned, is street theater and roadside theater containing caricature and skits, where information is turned into accessible packets that people can immediately respond to. Theater groups, nongovernment organizations, and governments will all need to rise to the challenge of creating space where a formal structure can be used for activities to foster public participation.
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From page 31... ...
There are also likely to be concerns that agriculture will come to be largely controlled by large transnational corporations that produce and distribute transgenic seed, potentially harming small farmers in the developing world and disrupting social structures. Those issues require frank discussion between policy-makers and farmers.
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Policymakers investing in national research initiatives would be well served by fostering a new generation of scientific advisers for biotechnology. Moreover, being much closer to the environments in which genetically engineered organisms will be used, local scientists not only will be more likely than outside groups to focus their own research on relevant animals, crops, and traits but will be in a better position to recognize and evaluate the potential risks posed by the introduction of engineered organisms, given the specific ecosystems into which the modified organisms will be introduced.
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From page 33... ...
Department of Agriculture, how are the new technologies going to be developed, and who is going to pay for them? Workshop participants agreed that although the vast majority of agricultural research in developing nations is performed by the public sector, public funding alone will not be sufficient to bring biotechnology innovations to farmers' fields even if the current decline in public funding is reversed.
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From page 34... ...
Njobe noted that the InterAcademy Council study panel that looked at African agriculture recommended that countries pool their resources to create African Centers of Agricultural Research Excellence that would perform research on subjects of high continental and regional priority. Another participant suggested that foundations, many of which are
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CHALLENGE 6: ENGAGING IN GLOBAL DIALOGUE ON AGREEMENTS AND PROTOCOLS Scientists and lawyers in developing nations need to participate in discussions and negotiations about biodiversity, biosafety, trade, and intellectual property rights to ensure that agreements can be implemented in ways that help their nations meet their goals. Biodiversity and Biosafety There is concern that genetically engineered crops will cross with wild relatives and allow transgenes to move into the environment and potentially alter natural ecosystems.
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From page 36... ...
It establishes a procedure for an advanced informed agreement by signatory countries whereby each would be informed of the potential risks posed by living modified organisms before such organisms could be imported into the countries. Recognizing the lack of scientific certainty as to the effects of living modified organisms on biodiversity and human health, the protocol references a precautionary approach and reaffirms Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environ ment and Development.
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From page 37... ...
. The report mentions that existing studies on the safety of genetically engineered crops for human health, the environment, and socioeconomic systems continue to be a major issue of public concern and continue to be subject to divergent interpretations and conclusions (Gupta, 2000; NRC, 2002b)
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From page 38... ...
Such analysis might assist governments in developing policies for the introduction of biotechnology and the protection of biodiversity. Resolving Trade Issues Many groups have opposed the use of agricultural biotechnology, and some nations have responded to the opposition by placing import-market restrictions on genetically engineered crops.
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From page 39... ...
Agricultural research information was openly accessible to all: germplasm was pooled in gene banks by countries around the world, and collaboration and free exchange of cultivars occurred between research centers in developed countries, such as the United States, gene banks in international agricultural research centers, and users in international agricultural research systems worldwide. As Brian Wright, of the University of California at Berkeley, pointed out, farmers also contributed freely to the pool of agricultural technology -- nearly all mechanical innovations in the United States came from farmers and blacksmiths who did not patent any of their innovations.
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From page 40... ...
The TRIPS agreement includes a number of important provisions, such as one that requires governments in developed countries to provide incentives for companies to transfer technology to least-developed countries. Although the TRIPS obligations apply equally to all member states, developing countries were provided more time to implement applicable changes in their national laws.
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For investigators who want to develop products that can benefit the developing world, an important consideration is where to patent a new technology. Although the TRIPS agreement requires countries to develop IP protections that innovators can apply for, patents are granted by individual nations.
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From page 42... ...
Moreover, the protectiveness over IP is spilling over into the public sector. At a time when the world is looking to the public sector to develop innovations in orphan crops and take the technology to the developing world, the public sector is finding itself with more responsibility but less freedom to operate.
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From page 43... ...
And when they come closer to the cutting edge, they are forced to start inventing. By that time, they have accumulated enough capital to pay for the inventive activities." Workshop participants were encouraged by the existence of nonprofit organizations that provide access to IP rights and benefit agricultural researchers in the public sector who otherwise would not have the means to obtain the rights to IP (see Box 3-4)
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If BiOS can develop the right kinds of technologies, plant researchers and breeders throughout the world would gain greater access to information. African Agricultural Technology Foundation The AATF (http://www.aatf-africa.org)
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From page 45... ...
If the protein consumption of the developing world continues as projected and matches that of developed countries, soy and other vegetable proteins will need to be explored to create sustainable farming systems. CLOSING THOUGHTS Many discussions and debates about the use of agricultural biotechnology focus on whether its use brings greater benefits than risks to society.
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From page 46... ...
46 GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY biotechnologies were outlined during the course of the workshop, but it will be a critical exercise that will need to meet many objectives associated with setting priorities for the allocation of resources. There will be many entities playing active roles in addressing those priorities, and global partnerships will be a key part enabling the new technologies to move forward in ways that help developing countries.
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