SECTION I

Addressing Management and Policy Issues

Deciding how to best make use of the rapid advances in biotechnology requires careful

judgment and experience. Agricultural research managers must weigh potential

productivity increases alongside uncertain factors such as environmental risks, potential

returns on investment, and alternative approaches to address food security. In addition,

policymakers and the general public increasingly call upon research managers to inform

them about the latest developments in biotechnology. This responsibility increases with the

growing debate on the safety and public acceptance of biotechnology used for food

production and consumption.

Managers responsible for agricultural biotechnology research find that they need

technical, managerial, and policy skills that go beyond the scope of scientific education. In

the first section of this book, the main issues facing these managers are presented from

three different perspectives. Chapter 1 (“Identifying Needs and Priorities: A Decision-

Making Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology”) analyzes identified needs and

findings from regional seminars on biotechnology that were organized by ISNAR.

Findings are presented in relation to a decision-making framework applied to

biotechnology involving four steps: identifying research priorities for which biotechnology

offers a comparative advantage, determining relevant national policies, formulating an

appropriate research agenda, and providing for delivery of products to end users. Seminar

findings and decision-making steps are also related to broader strategic thinking for

agricultural research, as undertaken by the International Food Policy Research Institute.

The policy seminars helped participants to

• explore each country’s context for agricultural biotechnology

• identify factors unique to formulating strategies and policies for agricultural

biotechnology

• think systematically about decision making and implementing biotechnology

• understand the high level of uncertainty faced by decision makers when making

policy on agricultural biotechnology.

Identifying, understanding, and addressing these needs is the starting point for the material

presented in this book, as well as for the ongoing ISNAR course “Managing Biotechnology

in a Time of Transition.”

Taking a different perspective, chapter 2 (“The Debate on Genetically Modified

Organisms: Relevance for the South”) focuses on the public debate and emerging

controversial issues of biotechnology, specifically regarding the introduction of genetically

modified organisms (GMOs). In the UK, for example, GMO foods are available on grocery

shelves, but their use is so politically sensitive that they are banned from the restaurants of

parliament. Research managers in developing countries should be prepared to respond to

concerns raised by policymakers and the public regarding the environmental safety and

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food safety of GMOs and the perceived trend towards corporate control and market

concentration in the life sciences.

The final chapter of this section (“Agricultural Biotechnology Research Indicators

and Managerial Considerations in Four Developing Countries”) analyzes key

considerations for national policymakers regarding the mobilization and use of human,

financial, and physical resources for agricultural biotechnology and the institutional setting

in which the agricultural biotechnology research system operates. Information on the size,

structure, and content of public research is needed to improve policy decisions, clarify the

roles of the public and private sectors, and support public-sector implementation of

biotechnology research. There is, however, a lack of structured data on resources available

for agricultural biotechnology in developing countries.

ISNAR initiated this study to collect and analyze baseline data. Initial findings

provide new information that strengthens the basis for making decisions on agricultural

biotechnology and lead to a set of policy recommendations. The information provides

valuable background material for other themes covered by this book, such as strategic

planning and priority setting. It facilitates greater understanding of the institutional

developments required for agricultural biotechnology in developing countries, and it

provides the means for comparison of information between selected countries.

The main recommendations from the chapters in this first section to policymakers,

donors, and managers of national agricultural research systems are the following:

• Support future policy dialogues that identify needs and mechanisms for follow-up

regarding policy and managerial dimensions of biotechnology.

• Raise awareness of the potential benefits and costs of using biotechnology to achieve

national goals.

• Assure relevant stakeholder and end-user participation in policy dialogues for

identifying needs regarding biotechnology policy.

• Develop mechanisms that help developing countries find funding for their own

research by addressing issues of sustainability and user orientation.

• Institute policy analysis on socioeconomic aspects of biotechnology, necessary legal

reforms, and build regulatory capacity to deal with biotechnology and related

agricultural policies.

• Conduct regular studies to analyze trends in public and private investments and

capacity development in biotechnology.

• Initiate policies and programs to encourage partnerships with the private sector that

complement investments made in the public sector.

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