Plant Biotechnology Transfer To Developing Countries

Plant biotechnology has become a priority area for technology transfer in developing countries where production of food, feed, and fiber is of vital concern. Many programs now have sufficient experience to permit anin-depth examination of approaches, achievements, controversies, and anticipated benefits. Developing countries are showcased for leading-edge advances, as represented by contributions from South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru with a foreword form World Food Prize Laureate, M.S. Swaminathan. These presentations are augmented by reviews from organizations facilitating plant biotechnology transfer, including philanthropic foundations, bilateral and multilateralorganizations, and other new initiatives. Introductory chapters address the subjects of sustainable development, regulatory concerns, accessibility of resources, environmental issues, and socio-economic research.

Here, the world's top experts impart their knowledge and experience, many in print for the first time. By considering developing country markets, this book is the first truly global guide to technology transfer, helping companies all around the world to avoid costly mistakes in product development and to recover investments quickly. Individual sections treat trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, technology transfer in health and healthcare as well as in agriculture and the environment.

Biotechnology offers great potential to contribute to sustainable agricultural growth, food security and poverty alleviation in developing countries. Yet there are economic and institutional constraints at national and international levels that inhibit the poor people's access to appropriate biotechnological innovations. Agricultural Biotechnology in Developing Countries: Towards Optimizing the Benefits for the Poor addresses the major constraints. Twenty-three chapters, written by a wide range of scholars and stake-holders, provide an up-to-date analysis of agricultural biotechnology developments in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Besides the expected economic and social impacts, the challenges for an adjustment of the international research structure are discussed, with a special focus on intellectual property rights and the roles of the main research organizations. Harnessing the comparative advantages of the public and private sectors through innovative partnerships is the only way forward to optimize the benefits of biotechnology for the poor. The book will be an invaluable resource for both academics and policy-makers concerned with agricultural biotechnology in context of developing-countries.

Crop biotechnology could boost global food production in a sustainable way. However, the economic repercussions of biotechnology for developing countries are largely unknown and have been the subject of acute controversy over the last few years. This study deals with the topic and provides some preliminary empirical results. An analytical framework for the ex ante evaluation of biotechnology in smallholder agriculture is developed, which is then used within three different case studies in Kenya and Mexico. It is shown that biotechnology holds great potentials for poor agricultural producers and consumers. Yet appropriate institutional adjustments are required to capitalize on these potentials. Implications for national and international biotechnology policies are discussed.

Following on from earlier titles in this series, this volume presents further material generated by the World Bank/ISNAR/Australian government biotechnology study.It covers the present status and future prospects for the application of biotechnology to solve agricultural and environmental problems in a number of developing countries. Particular focus is given on to developments that have taken place over the last decade.

Plant Biotechnology And Plant Genetic Resources, which boasts a truly international list of contributors with a variety of expertise, thoroughly explores all the major contemporary concerns. It discusses the strategies for the best use of modern biotechnology and precious plant genetic resources to alleviate components associated with global constraints in hunger, environment and health. This book is a valuable resource for scientists and policy makers as the world faces unprecedented challenges in the sustainability and productivity of the global food and fibre system.