Biotechnology

... democratising biotechnology

"Democratisation of biotechnology is needed if imagined food and farming futures really are to be pro-poor." - James Keeley, IDS, University of Sussex (2003).

Biotechnology has many traditional applications in agriculture. These include composting, use of Rhizobium to enhance nitrogen fixation in legume, cheese and wine making, fermentation of milk and non-alcoholic drinks, silage making and many other techniques and applications in which living organisms or their substances are used to make or modify a product. As shown by these examples biotechnology is not a new development, what is new are the modern techniques and applications of the technology developed over the last two decades.

Poor farming communities are increasingly excluded from access to and control over the resources and technology needed to sustain their livelihoods and the local environment. Moreover, globalised trade regimes are reducing local choice and control over markets and production systems and are threatening the integrity of the global genetic commons through increasing pressures for their privatisation.

Our work in this area involves the following themes:

• Sustainable agricultural biodiversity
• Food sovereignty

Further information

Food Sovereignty: towards democracy in localized food systems
A Practical Action working paper by Michael Windfuhr and Jennie Jonsén, points a way forward and invites a more focused consideration of the principles behind what is fast becoming recognised as the most important food and agriculture policy consensus for the 21st century. Order from Practical Action Publishing

Sustaining Agricultural Biodiversity
This paper provides examples of successful work by CSOs with local communities: maintaining crop diversity; conserving domestic animal diversity; restoring marine diversity; developing agro-ecotourism; facilitating farmers' voices in the genetic engineering debate; challenging perverse patents; protecting Farmers' Rights; monitoring Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). HTML | PDF

Biotechnology Facts
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development concluded that the yield gains in GM crops "were highly variable" and in some places "yields declined". Asked at a press conference if GM crops were the answer to world hunger, IAASTD Director Professor Bob Watson (now Chief Scientist at Defra) said, "The simple answer is, 'No'." Source: IAASTD (2008)