IX. Role of FAO: Recommendations of the Experts

23. The experts emphasised that agriculture and farming systems were central to cultivation of GM crops and FAO has a unique role and responsibility to assist member countries in understanding their environmental impacts. They emphasised that FAO should provide science-based guidance, facilitate dialogue including within related standard setting processes, and continue capacity building activities through effective partnerships. A set of recommendations under five specific themes was developed by the experts. The recommendations to FAO were then discussed in the final plenary session and are as follows:

i. Development and Integration of GM crops

• Adopt a holistic approach for integrating GM crops into production and ecological systems by assisting countries in relation to biosafety, food safety and social considerations.
• Assist communication between GM crop designers and users world wide, so that GM crop development is are geared toward addressing local needs and concerns.
• Assist member countries in formulating needs-demand driven assessment for GM crops and an action plan for their development and deployment.
• Promote an integrated and coordinated approach for research and development of high priority crop traits, such as drought-tolerance. Facilitate partnerships between institutions in research and development of such crops.
• Design research strategies with the appropriate time/space frames, to evaluate the effect of new GM crops and their associated technologies on the agro-ecosystem.

ii. Assessment and Regulation

• Provide guidance on risk assessment of GM crops. Establish a framework, such as a scientific committee to provide advice and guidance on this matter.
• Provide information on minimal standards for best available techniques and practices for GM crops through Toolkits. They could be prepared for
• Developing and implementing procedures and methodologies to assess environmental effects of GM crops, and meet national and international obligations, including the Cartagena Protocol.
• Establishing a systematic framework for assessment of positive and negative effects, at the field level, for crop associated biodiversity and natural landscapes

iii.Monitoring

• Initiate a process for monitoring the environmental effects of GM crops
• Facilitate intergovernmental discussions on the development of standards for pre-commercialization and post-commercialization monitoring.
• Facilitate adoption of relevant monitoring procedures within the risk assessment process.
• Distribute guidance and advice concerning the use of post-commercialization monitoring to provide validation of risk assessment procedures.
• Provide guidelines and assistance for coordination of personnel for monitoring purposes.

iv. Capacity Building

• Guide safe use of modern biotechnology tools to protect natural resources and the environment, and undertake capacity building activities at the policy development, institutional and technical level to assist developing countries.
• Strengthen national scientific and managerial skills to develop regulatory and legal frameworks consistent with international requirements, especially in developing countries.
• Provide a range of technical training to farmers, extension workers and other stakeholders on basic biotechnology, evaluation of experimental data, and changes in agronomic practices.
• Expand partnerships both in public and private sectors, to carry out meaningful capacity building activities without duplicating efforts.

v. Information Acquisition, Evaluation and Dissemination

• Consider developing a decision support system, through consolidation of available information to provide factual information on the environmental benefits and hazards of adoption of GM crops.
• Conduct a feasibility study of an information system which can include a broad set of databases and background information on general agricultural practices and monitoring data.
• Provide a forum for further regional consultation and for increasing stakeholder collaboration to stimulate research designed to diminish data gaps with respect to useful indicators and the normal operating range of environmental parameters.