Give Farmers the Real Products of Agricultural Biotechnology

To demonstrate his frustration with the way opponents of modern agricultural biotechnology distort scientific facts to discourage farmers in developing countries from embracing genetically modified crops, Calestous Juma, a professor of Practice of International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, in an opinion article in Economic Perspectives – a journal of the U.S. Department of State, lamented that much of the debate on the role of biotechnology in developing countries is based on hypothetical claims with no real products in the hands of consumers and producers.

“…rebutting the claim of critics is not as important as presenting the benefits of real products in the market place,” wrote Prof. Juma, a fervent advocate of modern agricultural biotechnology as a tool to alleviate poverty in poor countries.

Here, Prof. Juma was challenging scientists the world over to move from theoretical posturing about genetically modified crops and give consumers and producers the real products.

Scientists from the developing world must heed Prof. Juma’s challenge. The truth is that scientists, especially those in developing countries, have not done enough to help their farmers realize the real benefits of genetically modified crops. Most are always cocooned in labs, conducting never-ending experiments on genetically modified crops.

In a report released last week, scientists in developing countries were found to be completely detached from the needs of those who depend on agriculture for livelihood.

The report entitled, Will Agbiotech Applications Reach Marginalized Farmers? Evidence from Developing Countries, found that research and development in agricultural biotechnology (agribiotech) is fraught with impediments.

Key among them is that dissemination of agribiotech research and genetically modified (GM) crops to resource-poor, small-scale farmers in developing countries is almost non-existent.

As Prof. Juma notes in his article in the Economic Perspectives, those opposed to modern agricultural biotechnology have and will continue the lack of real products – genetically modified crops – to confuse farmers.

The ball is now in the court of scientists from developing countries. Developed countries are reaping a lot from genetically modified crops because research organizations heading up much of the agbiotech research are able to offer real products of genetic engineering to their people.