New Report Suggests the Need for a Comprehensive Approach to Biotechnology
A recent report released ten years after the first genetically modified crops were introduced stresses that social and economic concerns must be part of a comprehensive approach to regulate the introduction of agricultural biotechnology crops (Report Stresses Comprehensive Approach to Biotechnology Decisions; Public Participation is among the Keys to Effective Policy, SeedQuest, 9/23/05).
The report, entitled Integrating Socio-economic Considerations into Biosafety Decisions: The Role of Public Participation, was published by the World Resources Institute, a Washington, DC based independent nonprofit organization of scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts, mapmakers, and communicators working to protect the Earth and improve people's lives.
According to the report, modern biotechnology, as it is applied to agriculture, poses a common challenge to countries and societies worldwide and that is the need for careful decision-making to ensure that society enjoys the benefits of this technology while minimizing or avoiding its potential costs. The report also focuses on the social and economic issues of modern agricultural biotechnology and its products as well as ways to take these issues and concerns into consideration in making decisions regarding biotechnology. These social and economic issues are many, according to the report, and include concerns over the distribution of benefits between farmers in developed nations versus those in developing countries; public sector research; the possibility that GM crops could reduce the need for manual labor; global markets and trade relationships; competitive pressures among developing countries; organic agriculture; intellectual property rights; public opinion; and ethics, culture, and religion.
The report also emphasizes the importance of public participation. Public participation helps to identify, clarify, and resolve any social and economic issues and concerns related to modern agricultural biotechnology. According to the report’s lead author, Lindsey Fransen, effective public participation methods are one way to develop a policy that better serves the needs of people affected by this technology.
To accommodate social and economic concerns in better biotechnology policy, the report also contains recommendations for the scientific research community, industry, the agricultural sector, governments, and civil groups. The report also recommends that once the benefits and costs of agricultural biotechnology methods are clarified and participation by the public goes forward, countries and nations can make biotechnology policies that maximize the benefits of the technology to society, while minimizing the costs.
This report presents some interesting views on the acceptance of biotechnology in today’s society. Social and economic issues should be considered and the public should have the right to learn about biotechnology and to voice their questions in order to make an informed decision on the technology. It will also be interesting to see whether this report will be used by scientists and individuals involved in biotechnology or have any kind of impact on the biotechnology industry and its acceptance.
