BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - Management of appropriate agricultural biotechnology for small producers: case study - Ecuador

Today, agricultural biotechnology, together with its potential and risks, is a matter of concern for politicians, producers, scientists and the civil society. It is a heavily discussed issue in almost every country, where opinions of the different parties vary considerably and sometimes are quite different. Consequently, appropriate management, considering aspects related to research, biosafety, intellectual property rights and public perception regarding this technology, is of utmost importance. For this reason, the International REDBIO Foundation started and sponsored this study, choosing Ecuador as a country with a high potential for the application of biotechnology since it presents an important degree of diversity with problems typical of many Latin American countries, such as loss of biological diversity, poor institutional development and scarcity of financial resources.

Keywords
Andean crops, biotechnology management, Ecuador, genetic resources, policy