Agricultural Biotechnology : Transgenics in Agriculture and their Implications for Developing Countries

Technological innovation in agriculture can bring enormous benefits to the poor. High-yielding varieties of staple food crops have improved agricultural productivity, raised incomes, and reduced food prices. Innovations in plant breeding research based on advances in genetics that make it possible to manipulate plant DNA. Referred to as 'biotechnology,' its use in agriculture is controversial, particularly with regard to the development and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as transgenics. Some believe that transgenics offer great potential for meeting the challenges of feeding the hungry and improving incomes while others are convinced that transgenics will unleash environmental catastrophes, worsen poverty and hunger, and place traditional agriculture and the global food supply at the mercy of corporate interests. This paper synthesizes the research on transgenics and discusses the implications of public sector support for it as a poverty reduction tool.