Module IV: Biotechnology and Biosafety

Biotechnology is an area of potentially major importance to Africa, in terms of both trade and the alleviation of hunger and disease among the poorest sectors of the population. It is also a controversial area that is criticized as highly dangerous as often as it is hailed as a potential savior of the world’s hungriest people. Module IV focused mostly on agricultural biotechnology.

Proponents of agricultural biotechnology point to the fast-growing global population, arguing that most of the planet’s arable farmland is already being used and that the use of genetically modified (GM) crops is the best hope of alleviating widespread hunger and starvation. Commonly cited benefits of food biotechnology are increased yields (without overtaxing soils); hardier varieties that can withstand heat and drought; enhanced nutritional--and medicinal--value; improved storability; and built-in pest resistance that may decrease the need for chemicals.

Critics argue that modifying the genetic structure of crops involves too many unknowns and is inherently risky, i.e., that GM crops may have unintended environmental effects such as the creation of uncontrollable weeds; that the foods themselves may represent health risks; that benefit claims are exaggerated, e.g., that breeding for pest resistance does not reduce dependence on pesticides; and that other claims are misleading, e.g., that it is inaccurate to say that genetic engineering is no different from time-honored traditional plant breeding techniques.

Trade issues are also integral to any discussion of biotechnology, and are equally controversial. There is on the one hand concern that exports of GM foods may not be welcome in foreign ports as a result of public concerns such as those mentioned above. On the other hand, there is also the converse concern, that nations’ ability to set their own safety standards and labeling requirements may be nullified as anti-free trade under World Trade Organization agreements. In other words, regulating trade and differentiating between GM and non-GM foods are highly contentious issues that have yet to be fully resolved in the international arena.

In a widely publicized article highlighted by Module IV faculty members, M.S. Swaminathan wrote about the promise of the "gene revolution," but cautioned that "to capture such benefits we must squarely face the profound ethical and safety issues of biotechnology. These are complicated by the issues of proprietary science. Protests have been staged by farmers and citizens’ groups in a number of countries on ethical or ecological grounds. There is also the genuine fear that proprietary science can confer monopolistic control over a key human need: food security. These fears can be addressed by promoting enlightened and transparent policies together with collaborative research that taps the knowledge of farmers and the capabilities of private and public institutions. Confrontation can give way to cooperation only if there is unbiased dialogue on risks and benefits." ("Harness the Gene Revolution to Feed the World," International Herald Tribune, October 23, 1999)

In the spirit of constructive dialogue, Module IV seeks a balanced perspective on the threats and opportunities represented by biotechnology, with an emphasis on "biosafety"--the development of credible, participatory safety procedures that can help to establish a viable middle ground between those who say "go" and those who say "no."