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FOREWORD & EDITORS' INTRODUCTION
Code Number: CS95017 Size of Files: Text: 11K No associated graphics FOREWORD
Clive James Chair. Board of Directors International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) Cayman Islands, April 1995. One of the most forbidding challenges facing mankind is to double or triple food production in the next 25 years to feed a global population of 10 to 12 billion people, the vast majority of which will reside on the continents of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is projected that the Third World will have a net shortfall of 100 million tons of food by the year 2000. This is due to the fact that current trends in the growth of food production are outsflipped by the increase in food, feed and fiber requirements resulting from population expansion and change in dietary habits. The implications of future food deficits will be life threatening to many in the developing world and particularly for the 800 million people who live in the semi-arid tropics where almost one third of the population live in poverty. Sorghum is a principle cereal that forms part of the staple diet in much of the Third World and is of particular ~mportance in human nutrition in the semi-arid regions of Africa and in India. The multipurpose sorghum crop will continue to be an important food grain in the developing countries and its relative importance for poultry food and livestock forage will probably increase. It is therefore of paramount importance that technological developments are used to increase productivity and sustainability of sorghum production and thereby provide a betterquality of life for some of the poorest people in the world on the continents of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Whereas conventional agricultural research has much to contribute to increasing sorghum productivity and nutrition, it is equally important to take full advantage of the opporlunity to augment it with appropriate biotechnology applications. These range from the application of molecular markers to enhance the efficiency of crop improvement programmes, and pyramiding of traits, to the use of transgenics that allow the incorporation of useful genes that for various reasons cannot be achieved through conventional technology. Biotechnology has the potential to produce new and superior varieties of sorghum that will allow farmers in developing countries to produce more stable, higher yielding and nutritious crops that are less susceptible to biotic stresses such as insect pests and diseases and abiotic stresses such as drought. However. as with any new and powerful technology, there is a need to ensure that biotechnology is applied prudently. Acknowledging that developing countries have the most to gain from sharing the potential benefits of biotechnology applied to sorghum, there is also a need to ensure that risks are minimized and that the technology is always applied appropriately. Many industrial countries have developed regulatory programmes to achieve this objective and it is useful to share this experience with the developing countries while recognizing that promulgation of legislation is always a sovereign right. The principle objective of a workshop attended by sorghum experts and biotechnologists from both developing and industrial countries, held in Kenyain February 1995. was to critically consider the application of biotechnology to sorghum, assess the implications for developing countries and to make appropriate recommendations that could guide future sorghum improvement programmes, particularly in Africa. These proceedings are based on the workshop organized by the International Service for Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) and cosponsored by USDA-AHPIS and the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC). The workshop benefited from broad attendance by sorghum specialists and biotechnologists from developing countries and 6 industrial countries, with 64 representatives from 8 countries in Africa. Staff from Texas A&M University, USA, including Dr. Richard Frederiksen, the lead editor for these proceedings, played an important role. Representatives from Purdue University and the international research institutes ICRISAT and ISNAR also played a prominent role. The proceedings is a comprehensive and useful document in that it: addresses the issues ofbiosafey in relation to sorghum improvement, with particular reference to East Africa; identifies priority needs in East Africa and corresponding applications where biotechnology can contribute in the near term; notes the traits that may pose risks and offer advice on a course of action; discusses issues related to the nexus between biotechnology on yield stability, agronomic practice, access to seed and on sustainability. The proceedings represents an important source of current knowledge and information for sorghum specialists, biotechnologists and national programmes in Africa which seek to contribute to food security by applying biotechnology for the improvement of sorghum. EDITORS' INTRODUCTION BIOSAFETY ISSUES AND IMPACTS OF CULTIVATING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SORGHUM IN AFRICA
R.A. Frederiksen Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology Texas A& M University, Texas. S. Shantaram United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Maryland. K.V. Raman International Service for the Acquisition of Agri- Biotech Applications (ISAAA), Corneli University, Ithaca, N.Y. April 1995 An international workshop was organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of AgriBiotech Applications (ISAAA) through funding provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. Kenya. from February 26 through to March 3. 1995, to discuss the biosafety and biotechnology developments in sub-Saharan Africa. The international consultation on biosafety of sorghum coincided with a biosafety training workshop organized by ISAAA and sponsored by the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC). The later part of this workshop focused on a discussion leading to the development of recommendations related to the biosafety issues and environmental impacts of cultivating genetically engineered sorghums. The parlicipants were international experts in the field of agronomy, plant breeding, plant molecular biology; biotechnology. plant pathology. entomology, phytogeography. ethnobotany, post harvest biology and utilization of sorghum. The participants derberated on the current status of biotechnology in sorghum and biosafety questions related to the genetic engineering of sorghum with certain agronomic traits, and arrived at a consensus toward safe deployment of important genetic factors such as herbicide. pest and disease resistance. and quality traits for use in sorghum. This workshop drew African participants who are on the threshold of adopting products of biotechnology or developing their own products through biotechnology research for commercialization in agriculture. ISAAA has made a commitment to assi st developing countries to build institutional capacity for regulatory oversight to ensure that biotechnology products in the developing countries were developed, tested and adopted in a responsible and safe manner. Accordingly, ISAAA has conducted a series of workshops in Latin America and Asia. Several national and international agencies have cooperated with ISAAA to promote biosafety and biotechnology in developing countries. USDA/ APHIS in particular has been a key leader in this area. and this organization has long felt the need to internationally harmonize biotechnology regulatory practices and policies for the safe deployment of genetically engineered organisms. and as such has organized more than half a dozen international biosafety consultations or workshops to facilitate development of internationally acceptable biosafety standards for field testing of genetically engineered orgamsms. The results of such workshops and consultations have been valuable in mobilizing international harmonization of biotechnology regulatory policies. and in turn facilitate biosafety in biotechnology transfer, international research collaboration, and commercialization of biotechnology derived products. Clearly, it is intended that any economic development or industrial development of the agricultural sector involving biotechnology proceed with a clear evaluation of the risks associated with the rapidly advancing technology, and that every country. in the world which wants to use the biotechnology be aware of the biosafety risks, so that they can make fully informed decisions .before allowing the agricultural biotechnology products for commercialization.
To that end, we feel that this internationa| biosafety workshop of sorghum has made a significant contribution. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank all the participants for their contributions to the proceedings of the workshop, particularly in meeting our deadlines in the editorial process. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) funded the workshop, and the publication of this proceeding was made possible by a grant through the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). This workshop coincided with the biotechnology and biosafety workshop organized by ISAAA and sponsored by the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC). We are grateful to SAREC for their support. Special thanks to Dr. Florence Wambugu, Director, ISAAA AfriCenter, and Ir. Eppie Zandvoort, Director,'ISAAA EuroCenter, for their tireless efforts in making all the 1ogistical arrangements for the workshop, and to Dr. Anatole Krattiger, Executive Director of ISAAA who made very useful corrections in the final gallery proof. Our thanks are also due to the Director General of International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for providing the facilities for the workshop, to the Director General of Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARl), to the staff of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for assisting with the preparation of this workshop and to the International Potato Center (CIP) in Nairobi for hosting ISAAA and arranging the necessary 1ogistics for hotel reservations and financial reports. We are thankful to the African Crop Science Journal for agreeing to publish the proceedings as a special issue. We are also thankful to the administrative staff at ISAAA AmeriCenter, AfriCenter, EuroCenter, and at Texas A&M. Copyright 1995 African Crop Science Society
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