|
African Crop Science Journal
African Crop Science Society
ISSN: 1021-9730 EISSN: 2072-6589
Vol. 3, Num. 2, 1995, pp. i-iv
|
African Crop Science Journal, Vol. 3. No.2, pp. i-iv, 1995
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
|