Tuesday, April 11, 2006

BIOTECH A BOON TO 3RD WORLD

MYTH: Biotechnology only benefits wealthy western economies.

Currently there are over 21 countries with major biotech production. For the last 10 years we have seen the percentage of biotech crops planted double each year.

In fact >90% of farmers that plant biotech crops are in developing countries-many of which would be considered at the subsistence level.

Biotechnology is actually a size neutral technological advancement. Unlike advances in mechanization, GPS, or inputs that may require a large scale of production, biotechnology can be adopted by the smallest of producers.

Drought resistance, disease resistance , and insect resistance are all examples of traits that are size neutral. Advancements in genomics, quantitative genetics, and molecular biology will only perpetuate this trend.

No comments: