CONTENTS

Economic Perspectives

An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State
Vol. 8, No. 3, September 2003

     Focus     Commentary     Resources

Agricultural Biotechnology

FOCUS

TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT DIMENSIONS
OF U.S. INTERNATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY
By Alan Larson, Under Secretary of State for Economic,
Business and Agricultural Affairs

Science-based regulation of agricultural biotechnology contributes to the free trade of safe biotech applications and biotech's appropriate use to promote development, writes Alan Larson, under secretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs. Larson adds that biotechnology — one of the most promising new technologies of our times — is too important for the world to ignore.

AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD
By J. B. Penn, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm
and Foreign Agricultural Services

Biotechnology has the potential to play a large role in more rapidly advancing agricultural productivity in developing countries while protecting the environment for future generations, writes J.B. Penn, under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

UNDERSTANDING BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE
By Lester M. Crawford, Deputy Commissioner,
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Bioengineering provides distinct advantages over traditional breeding technologies because the risk of introducing detrimental traits is likely to be reduced, says Deputy U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Lester Crawford. He argues that there are no scientific reasons that a product should include a label indicating that it, or its ingredients, was produced using bioengineering.

A GREEN FAMINE IN AFRICA?
By Ambassador Tony P. Hall, U.S. Mission to the U.N.
Agencies for Food and Agriculture

Countries facing famine must consider the severe, immediate consequences of rejecting food aid that may contain biotechnology, writes Tony Hall, U.S. representative to the U.N. Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He says that there is no justification for countries to avoid food that people in the United States eat every day and that has undergone rigorous testing.

FACT SHEET: THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY

The Biosafety Protocol, which will enter into force on September 11, 2003, will provide many countries the opportunity to obtain information before new biotech organisms are imported, according to a new U.S. Department of State fact sheet. The protocol does not, however, address food safety issues or require consumer product labeling.

COMMENTARY

THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY IN WORLD FOOD AID
By Bruce Chassy, Professor of Food Microbiology and Nutritional Sciences and Executive Associate Director of the Biotechnology Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Biotechnology has the potential to play a key role in reducing chronic hunger, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which missed out on the "Green Revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s, says Bruce Chassy, professor and executive associate director of the Biotechnology Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He urges more public investment in agricultural research, education and training at the local, national and regional levels.

THE ROLE OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD'S FOOD SYSTEMS
By A. M. Shelton, Professor of Entomology, Cornell University/New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

At the molecular level, writes Cornell University Professor A.M. Shelton, different organisms are quite similar. It is this similarity that allows the transfer of genes of interest to be moved successfully between organisms and makes genetic engineering a much more powerful tool than traditional breeding in improving crop yields and promoting environmentally friendly production methods.

IMPROVING ANIMAL AGRICULTURE THROUGH BIOTECHNOLOGY
By Terry D. Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University

Livestock feed derived from biotechnology has been shown to increase production efficiency, decrease animal waste and lower the toxins that can cause sickness in animals, says Terry D. Etherton, distinguished professor at The Pennsylvania State University. Genetically modified feed also can improve water and soil quality by reducing levels of phosphorous and nitrogen in animal waste.

BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNICATION ECOLOGY
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Project at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Much of the debate about agricultural biotechnology is steered by myths and misinformation and not by science, writes Calestous Juma, professor and director of the Science, Technology and Globalization Project at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. The scientific community, with stronger support from governments, must do more to openly address science and technology issues with the public, he says.

RESOURCES

PRESS RELEASE: U.S. REQUEST FOR A WTO DISPUTE PANEL
REGARDING EU BIOTECH MORATORIUM

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY TIMELINE

GLOSSARY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY TERMS

ADDITIONAL READINGS

KEY INTERNET SITES

Economic Perspectives

An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State

Volume 8 Number 3 September 2003

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