In
This Issue:
SANCHEZ
IS WORLD FOOD PRIZE LAUREATE
Dr. Pedro Sanchez, a visiting professor of tropical resources at the University
of California at Berkeley's College of Natural Resources is this year's World
Food Prize Laureate. A native Cuban and graduate of Cornell University, Sanchez
was cited for his "contributions to reducing hunger and malnutrition throughout
the developing world by transforming depleted tropical soils into productive
agricultural lands".
Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation said
that Sanchez was being recognized for helping Peru to dramatically improve
its national food security, achieving self-sufficiency in rice production within
three years, and achieving among the highest rice yields in the world. Sanchez
developed a comprehensive approach to soil management, which enabled 30 million
hectares of marginal Brazilian land to be brought into production.
The 2002 World Food Prize awardee served as Director General of the International
Centre for Research in Agroforestry in Nairobi, Africa. He led efforts to provide
smallholder farmers in Africa and Southeast Asia with the means to replenish
crucial nutrients in exhausted soils through the development and promotion
of agroforestry. More details on the awardee is available at http://www.worldfoodprize.org/2002Laureate/pressrelease.htm
SCIENTIFIC
UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION IS IMPERATIVE, SAYS AAAS
PREXY
Scientific understanding is no longer only a desirable good but clearly an
imperative for building truly representative democracies. This was stressed
by Peter Raven, in his presidential address during the 2002 American Association
for the Advancement of Science annual meeting.
Raven, notes that "the involvement of scientists in an effective information
network leading to an improvement of the educational system and in promoting
public understanding of science would help greatly in building strong sustainable
societies. Such efforts will help informed citizens to make better decisions
and will ultimately lead to increasing the financial support for the scientific
enterprise".
In addition, Raven says that science-to-science cooperation between those in
industrialized nations and their colleagues in developing countries is important
for achieving effective global communication, and ultimately sustainability. "Of
all the many ways in which we can cooperate for the common good, the case for
science and technology cooperation with science-poorer nations is perhaps the
most compelling", he opines.
Raven is director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri.
An essay adapted from his presidential address "Science, sustainability, and
the human prospect" is featured in Science, Vol. 297, August 9, 2002 issue
and is downloadable from http://www.sciencemag.org
SOUTH
KOREA STRENGTHENS BIOTECH
The Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Korea has announced
a set of plans to raise the nation's global ranking from the current 14th to
7th in terms of biotechnology by 2010. It will declare this year as the Year
of Biotechnology and help businessmen, scientists and technicians set up 600
biotechnology-related venture firms by the end of next year.
In an annual policy briefing, Science-Technology Minister Seo Jung-uck reported
the development plan for the biotech industry to President Kim Dae- jung. The
ministry has decided to allot 323.8 billion won ($259 million) into research
and development of biotechnology related to DNA, protein and bio-information.
The
Minister also announced a plan to set up a National Genetic Research
Centre and introduce a life science ethics law this year in order
to lay the groundwork for genome study.
WSSD
2002 WILL HELP IDENTIFY NEXT BIG ISSUE
"Johannesburg will help identify 'the next Kyoto' - the next big social or environmental
issue that will spill over into a corporate communications challenge". This is
one of the predictions made by Infonic, an Internet research and communications
consultancy specializing in analysis of social and environmental issues and trends
online.
The summit will focus on actions to address major sustainable development issues.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's five key issues are water, energy, health,
agriculture and biodiversity.
Infonic also predicts that corporate accountability will shape the media agenda
for the summit and campaigners will use the Summit as a platform to raise awareness
of a multitude of alleged corporate transgressions. They also predict that
a reassessment of corporate influence at a government and intergovernmental
level will lead to increased scrutiny of business lobby groups and individual
corporations. Finally, the consultancy group thinks that firms that win reputational
advantage will be those that demonstrate a proactive approach to development,
debt and environmental protection and can point to clear policies and actions
on these issues.
The report can be accessed at http://www.infonic.com/cgi/content/files/Joburgno12002.pdf
The
ISAAA position paper for the WSSD can be downloaded at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/WSSD/worldsummit.htm
AFRICAN
BIOTECH TO BENEFIT FROM WSSD
Following a series of sensitization meetings organized by the African Biotechnology
Stakeholders' Forum (ABSF) in collaboration with ISAAA Africentre, the media
in Kenya has highlighted the role of the forthcoming World Summit for Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, in shaping future policies
and new initiatives for further development of biotechnology in Africa. The
WSSD aims to ensure a balance between economic, social development and environmental
protection as components of sustainable development.
The Kenyan media suggested that emphasis should be placed on national and global
strategies to ensure appropriate caution and judgment in the development and
application of biotechnology. This should include discussion on the implementation
of suitable risk assessment systems to minimize the potential risk in human
and animal health.
Also suggested as area of deliberation is the establishment of appropriate
and enforceable national and global regulatory systems to ensure safe international
trade and use of biotechnology products. Key to all these will be the ratification
and implementation of an international biosafety protocol and an increased
level of public awareness and acceptance of the processes and products of biotechnology.
In related developments, the ABSF recently held a workshop to sensitize its
members on the potential role of biotechnology in ensuring food security for
African countries. The chief guest was Prof. Channapatna Prakash, Director
of the Centre for Plant Biotechnology Research at Tuskegee University, US.
Prof. Prakash recognized that numerous problems affected agricultural production
in Africa and that biotechnology could only address those limiting productivity.
He outlined the role of biotechnology in producing more nutritious food using
less land, less water and less chemicals as the best option for increasing
food production while conserving the natural resource base. He emphasized that
reliance on food aid was not an option for sustainable development and suggested
that African countries integrate biotechnology in their development agenda
through appropriate policies, capacity building and inclusion in regional programmes.
/Kenya Biotechnology Information Center
TRANSFORMATION
OF AGRICULTURE IS REQUIRED TO FEED THE WORLD
"To feed the world this century and avert increased economic and civil dislocation,
a second and more widespread transformation of agriculture is required," said
Dr. Gordon Conway, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. Dr. Conway, who has
been called "The Voice of Reason in the Global Food Fight" presented the keynote
address in the international conference of the Australian Academy of Technological
Sciences and Engineering Crawford Fund, "Food for the Future: Opportunities for
a Crowded Planet", in Canberra, Australia held last 8 August 2002. The event
was held to discuss how science and technology could address food security, world
stability and sustainable development in the face of growing world population.
Dr. Conway called for a multi-part approach which would:
-
design
new and better plants and animals, using modern methods of biotechnology
and genetic engineering, particularly aimed at marginal lands
-
develop
(or rediscover) non-polluting alternatives to inorganic fertilizers
and pesticides
-
improve
soil and water management
-
enhance
earning opportunities for the rural poor, especially women; and
-
forge
genuine partnerships between researchers and farmers on the ground,
who can offer invaluable input into the creation and application
of new techniques.
In
relation to biotechnology and community concern, Dr Conway noted
that much of what is being said in developed countries, like Australia,
is driven by passion, or simple anti-corporate sentiment. He further
said, "unless there is more reasoned dialogue, there is a real danger
that the potential benefits of the technology will be lost in an
increasingly hostile consumer or legislative backlash".
For more details go to http://www.crawfordfund.org/events/prconway.htm.
GM
CROPS AS SAFE AS CONVENTIONAL CROPS
Dr. Bruce Chassy of the University of Illinois, states that "crops produced
through biotechnology have proven to be as safe as or safer than crops produced
by conventional breeding". He further elaborates that these crops could even
be safer using Bt corn as an example. It needs less pesticides thus there would
be less exposure to farmers, surrounding communities and non-target organisms.
Chassy's article "Food safety evaluation of crops produced through biotechnology" was
published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 21, No.
3 (2002). He described the evaluation process GM foods undergo before it is
approved for cultivation and eventual commercialization.
The author made an analogy regarding a "wait and see" approach regarding technologies.
He said that had the US waited to accumulate evidence, they would have abandoned
railways because during the first couple of years, early train travel was unsafe
and often lethal. He said we would also have abandoned electricity because
there were many fires, injuries and deaths at first. In contrast, GM crops
have been around for five years and "there is not a single report that would
lead an expert food scientist to question the safety of such transgenic crops
now in use". Chassy said that a major lesson is that "we should analyze and
judge the safety of individual products that are the applications of a new
technology rather than the technology itself".
The article can be downloaded at http://www.jacn.org/cgi/reprint/21/suppl_3/166S.pdf
BROCHURES
ON BT COTTON IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Have smallholder farmers benefited from planting Bt cotton? The International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications answers this question
in a series of brochures on Bt cotton in developing countries. These are popularized
write-ups on documented benefits of Bt cotton in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico,
and South Africa by noted agricultural economists and scientists.
The brochures on Bt cotton prove that farmers have gained much from the technology
in controlling major insect pests of cotton. In addition, farmers experienced
greater productivity and income as well as health benefits. Copies of these
brochures can be downloaded for free at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/services.htm.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON GMO BIOSAFETY
The newly launched Environmental Biosafety Research (EBR) is calling for papers.
The quarterly international journal aims to publish top quality research and
review articles in areas pertinent to GMO biosafety. Areas of interest include
plant/animal ecology, plant/animal pathology, weed science, microbiology, entomology,
food safety, agronomy, and economics. For more information, visit http://www.edpsciences.org/ebr/ or
download a leaflet in pdf format from http://www.edpsciences.org/docinfos/EBR/leafletEBR.pdf
|
