IFPRI Unveils State of Biotech Crop Research in Developing Countries

If you think that private companies dominate biotech crop research in developing countries, think again. The facts are different.

New research by IFPRI found that public institutions in develop­ing countries are conducting groundbreaking biotech crop research, debunking the myth that multinational corporations control global development of this technology. Often this research draws upon indigenous plant varieties to cultivate improved crops for local use by small-scale farmers.

This groundbreaking report assesses the state of biotech crop research, types of genes being used, and the biosafety and regulatory challenges facing developing countries.

"Developing countries are often unwilling or unable to test commercial genetically modified (GM) crops because of national policies or regulatory systems that are not prepared to grant approval for general use,” said Joel Cohen, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow and author of the report. Researchers in industrialized and developing countries need to work together to pro­vide science-based information for decision makers, so that they can enhance the clarity of regulatory policies and procedures."

The study, featured in the January issue of Nature Biotechnology, documents transgenic research on 45 different crops—including cotton, corn, cacao, and cassava—in 15 developing countries. At this point, most of these crops remain in development and out of farmers' hands. The reason? Most developing countries lack the knowledge, capacity, and funding to develop and comply with biosafety regulatory requirements.

According to the study, the need to overcome these challenges is critical for the advancement of this technology in the developing world. GM crops hold the potential to reduce the need for pesticides, improve drought tolerance and resistance to saline soils, and even increase the nutritional value of staple foods.

The report stresses the need for improved information-sharing among developing countries, and calls for increases in small-scale, confined field trials to test crops and receive farmer feedback.

For more information, including the article in “Nature Biotechnology,” click www.ifpri.org/media/biotech20050106.htm.