.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Rockefeller Foundation is one of the institutions advocating crop biotechnology in the bid to alleviate poverty. At the same time, Rockefeller believes the importance of conducting appropriate trials and tests which will address thepublic's clamor for more information on the supposed risks and benefits of this controversial technology. "Unless there is a clear public involvement in the nature and progress of biotechnology - including public investment, greater regulation, and improved public understanding - the risks are not likely to be properly addressed and assessed. The benefits will go to the rich rather than the poor," Rockefeller President Gordon Conway said in his speech entitled Crops Biotechnology: Benefits, Risks and Ownership.

Clearly, the debate over the benefits and risks of this technology has taken the public by storm and has generated both optimistic and pessimistic reactions. One point that Conway made in his speech wasthat thi sdebate lies in the political arena. The large amounts of information provided have scientific basis while some are merely speculative. Among the benefits cited were lowered production costs for American farmers, primarily through better pest and weed control, reduction in pesticide use, and higher yields (in the case of Iowa BT corn growers and China Bt cotton growers). However, serious potential risks were also brought up, such as the environmental risk of transgenes escaping from cultivated crops into wild realtives or even contaminating organic varieties in nearby farms, possible production of superweeds, and the potential for pests to develop resistance to the toxins produced by the BT genes. While these may lead to more tests and greater regulation, the bottom line is for governments to decide clear and effective policies for each country upon consultation with the stakeholders.

Despite the debate over risks and benefits, it is more important to note that biotechnology raises several issues regarding environment, health, consumer rights, ethics, concerns of the poor and excluded, industry/science, and sustainable vs. industrial agriculture.

"It is a new technology with which we have limited experience. While we gain experience, we need to move cautiously... we should probably be more cautious of the greater the phylogenetic difference involved in the gene transfer," Mr. Conway said. Given these pronouncements, the only way to effectively assess these risks and benefits is the conduct of relevant trials and tests which can be independently monitored and made available for public scrutiny. Only through such transparent information dissemination will the public's thirst for the truth on biotech be finally quenched.

Adapted from Gordon Conway's paper on Crops Biotechnology: Benefits, Risks and Ownership.