More on Agricultural Biotechnology

Calestous Juma sent me a link to an editorial in Nature on the need for agricultural biotechnology in developing nations. The editorial focuses on the African Union's High-Level Panel on Modern Biotechnology.

The group eventually came to a consensus that Africa's nations cannot afford to do without new technologies in agriculture — but that all new technologies would need appropriate safeguards to protect human health and the environment. This seemingly obvious statement was, in fact, a rare example of successful collaboration between multinationals and environmentalists.

The fragility of that consensus is illustrated by the fate of a much larger initiative, the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development. That effort attempted to forge a similar consensus among the major players in world agriculture, but fell apart in January when industry representatives chose to walk away from the table. They felt unable to sign a document that did not list biotechnology as a high enough priority.

Back in January, Nature provided a news story on the departure of Monsanto and Syngenta, from the team producing the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology. The story notes:

No public statements have been offered, but the spokesman for CropLife told Nature that the decision was prompted by the inability of its members to get industry perspectives reflected in the draft reports. One of these perspectives is the view that biotechnology is key to reducing poverty and hunger, and it is based in part on high (and rising) levels of demand for biotech crops from farmers across the developing world.

A friend and long term colleague, who is the best agricultural research policy expert that I know and who works for the government was very unhappy with the report of the assessment.

Dr. Juma, a Harvard Professor, has done a great job in explaining agricultural biotechnology and defending its appropriate use in Africa.

I was responsible for a National Academy of Sciences seminar in the early 1980's that recommended that developing nations create a capacity for biotechnology, and identified agricultural biotechnology as an important emerging field. I then helped start USAID's first program to support research in agricultural biotechnology. At one point I headed the committee within that agency to review biotechnology projects for safety.

I heartily agree that developing nations should prepare to conduct agricultural research using the techniques of biotechnology, that they should have the ability to assess the risks of GM crops, and that they should be prepared to utilize GM cultivars where their benefits are such as to warrant their risks!