Supplying crop biotechnology to the poor: Opportunities and constraints

Unlike the public-sector research that launched the Green Revolution, private firms based in industrialised countries have done the majority of agricultural biotechnology research and almost all commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops. This paper examines consequences of the emergence of a few large companies as leaders in the commercialisation of biotechnology by addressing issues of access to technology, costs of conducting research and distribution of economic benefits. To provide context, we first review the status of crop-biotechnology research globally: who is benefiting from the technology? We then analyse the role of intellectual property rights, market access and industry concentration, public sector research and GM crop biosafety regulations in determining observed R&D by firms. The paper recommends policy measures that allow transfer of current technology to the poor and generate more biotechnology research focused on problems of the poor.