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Biotechnology - Dilemma & Strategic Response

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Title Biotechnology - Dilemma & Strategic Response
 
Creator Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
 
Description However, scientists and policy makers in ACP countries, like in all other parts of the world, face a dilemma as they contemplate several critical questions surrounding the issues of genetic engineering including the protection, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), bio-ethics and biosafety, global competitiveness and food security.


The Dilemma for Scientists






ACP scientists face a dilemma in considering or attempting to optimize the tools of modern biotechnology for societal, commercial and professional gain. They must grapple with moral, social, professional and ethical issues. Should bio-engineering be an Agricultural Research and Development (ARD) priority for ACP countries? Should limited resources available for ARD be expended on biotechnology and if yes, should it not be directed towards overcoming production constraints, improving yields and enhancing the quality and shelf life of indigenous foods? What should be the priority given that there could be consumer resistance in national and traditional export markets? Should the focus be on using the new technologies to improve competitiveness and expand trade opportunities in a global market or to achieve national and regional food security and poverty alleviation goals? Will these new technologies impact positively on sustainable livelihoods given IPR issues including plant patents and genetic use restriction technology (GURTs)? What impact will there be on the environment and what measures should be put in place to monitor the impact? Are there adequate resources, financial and human to conduct risk assessments? How can the new technologies be accessed and where can skills be updated given that some developed nations are placing restrictions on entry and the extent of the training that can be made available to developing countries? Should donor funding be accepted without question once it allows the pursuit of professional interests? What research partnership agreements should be pursued to the benefits of all parties and in the public interest? Should there be a lobby to exploit the new technologies such that ACP countries can derive economic benefits through patents from new discoveries or should such commercial options not be considered as a strategic option for future economic and competitive advantage?


The Dilemma for Policy Makers


ACP policy makers face key challenges as they attempt to respond to the growing demand to provide an enabling environment to foster scientific and technological development, including modernizing the legislative framework to support S&T policy initiatives. What quantum of financing should be made available to researchers to optimize these new techniques for addressing pressing social, economic and trade related agricultural issues? Which should be the priority and where should the resources come from? Should limited public resources be used or should systems be put in place to promote private sector investment and attract donor funding to complement government funding? How innocuous is private sector or donor funding for R&D and would the country benefit or only a few individuals, corporations and countries? Will researchers indulge in academic pursuits or be sociably responsible and what systems can the government put in place to ensure optimum use of public funds for the public good? How will IPR and related issues impact on the livelihoods of small farmers or will the anticipated economic benefits outweigh any initial social dislocation? Will there be any economic or social benefits? How can the governments protect farmers and other stakeholders, the population and the environment from any potential risks while ensuring that their countries participate in or benefit from this S&T revolution? How can the government bring about synergy among all the competing interests and responses required under the multiple international initiatives, each led in many instances by different ministries and agencies?


The Strategic Response


These and many more issues associated with this S&T "hot topic" in agriculture cannot be brushed aside as science and technological advances continue. Some governments have responded by developing policies for conserving and protecting biodiversity including benefit-sharing and optimizing biotechnology to meet obligations under several related agreements and conventions e.g. the World Trade Organization (WTO) - TRIPS, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) agreements, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UPOV Convention and more recently the Cartagena Protocol. In many cases, they have involved their S&T community and civil society in the deliberations and sought and received assistance from the international community. Some countries are at an advanced stage in policy formulation and implementation; other countries are still grappling with the issues. However, ACP scientists still face a dilemma and need to prioritize their response as the demands are great and the resources are limited. Governments´ main dilemma is in coordinating the responses needed at the national level and mobilizing adequate resources to support the process.
One strategy is to enhance the dialogue among ACP scientists and develop strong information networks nationally, regionally and internationally. The question however arises, "Are ACP scientists willing to deepen the dialogue among themselves and with policy makers and other stakeholders and actors, share information and collaborate to build knowledge and skills and promote and support the establishment of Centres of Excellence for addressing this and other pressing S&T issues that impact on agriculture?" The CTA "Knowledge for Development" web portal is one tool for facilitating this dialogue. Its success depends on the support and optimization of the facility by the ACP S&T community, policy makers and other actors and stakeholders and international collaborators.

Wageningen, 15 November 2003
Scientists have used biotechnology for centuries to enhance the production, availability and quality of food. However within recent times the selective and sophisticated manipulation of genes of living organisms also referred to as bio-engineering, has ra
 
Date 2015-03-30T07:08:12Z
2015-03-30T07:08:12Z
2003
 
Type News Item
 
Identifier CTA. 2003. Biotechnology - Dilemma & Strategic Response. Knowledge for Development. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/63774
 
Language en
 
Relation Knowledge for Development
 
Publisher CTA