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Agricultural Biotechnologies
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The News items relate to applications of biotechnologies in food and agriculture in developing countries and their major focus is on the activities of FAO, other UN agencies/bodies and the 15 CGIAR research centres. The News items cover all food and agricultural sectors (crops, forestry, fisheries/aquaculture, livestock, agro-industry) and a wide range of biotechnologies (e.g. use of molecular markers, artificial insemination, triploidisation, biofertilisers, micropropagation, genomics, genetic modification etc.). New documents are included as News if they are freely available on the web and, for people who can't download them or who wish further information, an e-mail contact is also provided. The News service was launched in January 2002 and all News items posted since then (there were 800 in the first 9 years) are available here. The news and event items on this website are also disseminated through an e-mail newsletter called FAO-BiotechNews that is published in six different versions, one per language i.e. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] indicating which e-mail addresses are to be subscribed and in which language they wish to receive the newsletter.
02/07/2008
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has just released bEcon, a web-based bibliography including peer-reviewed applied economics literature that assesses the impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops in developing economies. The publications are organised into four main categories: the impacts of GM crops on farms, on consumers, on industries/sectors, and on international trade. For inclusion in the database, publications must focus on GM crops in non-industrialised agriculture, including at least one developing economy, and be peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and published conference proceedings. Technical reports, working papers and discussion papers are considered if there is some indication of peer review. The database is updated every 3 months and a CD-ROM is produced annually. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/becon/beconabout.asp or contact [email protected] for more information or [email protected] to request CD-ROM copies of bEcon.
01/07/2008
A new publication, entitled "Multi-institutional distance learning course on the ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources", is now available which covers the basic concepts of plant genetic resources, germplasm acquisition, introduction, conservation, characterisation, documentation, and germplasm bank management. Funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), this English-language version is based on the materials used in the 2004 Spanish-language distance learning course, organised by the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Bioversity International and the National University of Colombia, with the support of REDCAPA. See http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/ccc/course_ex_situ.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.
16/06/2008
Since 2002, FAO and its partners have been carrying out a survey to assess national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity worldwide. The survey is currently concluded in 62 countries and is still ongoing in 30 countries through the support of FAO and the Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB). The Plant Breeding and related Biotechnology Capacity assessment (PBBC) database is now available on the web, providing information from the survey in an easily searchable format. See http://km.fao.org/gipb/pbbc/ or contact [email protected] for more information or with suggestions/comments.
15/06/2008
A new report on "Micropropagation for quality seed production in sugarcane in Asia and the Pacific", by N.C. Jalaja, D. Neelamathi and T.V. Sreenivasan, is now available on the web. Published by FAO, the AsiaPacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology (APCoAB) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the 46-page report gives a step-by-step protocol for the production of disease-free planting material in sugarcane using the meristem tip culture method. Field multiplication of in-vitro raised plantlets aimed at reducing the farmer-level cost of seedlings is also detailed. Success stories of sugarcane micropropagation for seed production in India, Australia and the Philippines are also described. See http://www.apcoab.org/documents/sugar_pub.pdf (2.2 MB) or contact [email protected] for more information.
14/06/2008
On 15-16 December 2007, an expert consultation meeting for the establishment of a regional network for agricultural biotechnology in the Near East and North Africa was held in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting was sponsored by the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA), the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), FAO and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and hosted by the Egypt Agricultural Research Center. At the meeting, the proposal to establish the network was adopted unanimously and decisions were taken regarding location of the network secretariat, election of officers, selection of technical working groups and a program of activities. See an overview of the meeting (568 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.
13/06/2008
On 10-11 April 2008, the "International consultation on pro-poor Jatropha development" was held in Rome, Italy, jointly organised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Foundation, FAO and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The consultation was designed to support the recently-approved research grant financed by IFAD, which, inter alia, aims to develop appropriate technologies to intensify biofuel feedstock production, study the economics of rural electrification and assess its impact on poverty. The consultation was organised in 11 sessions, one of which was dedicated to breeding, where applications of molecular markers were also discussed. Presentations from the consultation are now available on the web. See http://www.ifad.org/events/jatropha/index.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.
12/06/2008
The latest Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Information bulletin (volume 30, part 2) is now available on the web. Published twice a year by FAO in English and French, the bulletin contains both news and scientific abstracts aiming to collate and disseminate current information on all aspects of tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control to institutions and individuals involved in the problems of African trypanosomiasis (a vector-borne disease affecting people and animals caused by various species of blood parasites called trypanosomes). The bulletins also include items covering biotechnology applications for disease diagnosis and in trypanosome research. See http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/paat/ttiq.html or contact [email protected] to subscribe.
11/06/2008
The report of the 36th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), that took place from 28 April to 2 May 2008 in Ottawa, Canada, is now available. Agenda Item 5, on "Labelling of foods and food ingredients obtained through certain techniques of genetic modification/genetic engineering", is covered in paragraphs 75-93 of the report. See http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?lang=en (document ALINORM 08/31/22) or contact [email protected] for further information.
10/06/2008
Five technical panels have been set up under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). One of these, the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols (TPDP), produces diagnostic protocols for specific pests, often involving use of morphological and molecular/biochemical diagnostic techniques. The report of the TPDP meeting held on 24-28 September 2007 in Buenos Aires, Argentina is now available. See https://www.ippc.int/id/59235?language=en or contact [email protected] for more information. The IPPC is an international treaty relating to plant health, to which 169 governments currently adhere, and its Secretariat is based at FAO Headquarters, Rome.
09/06/2008
On 19-20 May 2008, an international workshop on "Good practices regarding access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to GMOs" was held in Cologne, Germany, with a particular focus on the needs and challenges facing countries in transition (especially those from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia) and developing countries. It was held under the auspices of the Aarhus Convention (i.e. the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters). See the workshop documents (in English, some also in French and Russian) at http://www.unece.org/env/pp/gmo.htm#gmoworkshop or contact [email protected] for more information.
08/06/2008
An advance version of the report of the 4th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 4), that took place on 12-16 May 2008 in Bonn, Germany, is now available on the web. This 105-page document is subject to final clearance. See the report or contact [email protected] for more information. Documents, press releases and webcasts from the meeting are also available at http://www.cbd.int/mop4/.
07/06/2008
The United Nations University`s Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) has recently published "Internationally funded training in biosafety and biotechnology Is it bridging the biotech divide", by S. Johnston, C. Monagle, J. Green and R. Mackenzie. The 233-page report marks the conclusion of a global assessment, undertaken by UNU-IAS from 2004 to 2007, aiming to provide a neutral, independent and objective assessment of the various internationally funded training programmes for biosafety and biotechnology, especially to the extent that it is necessary for biosafety, in the developing world. See http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=111&ddlID=673 or contact [email protected] for further information or to request a printed copy of the report.
06/06/2008
The 4th meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) ad hoc Group on Biotechnology was held on 28-30 November 2007 in Paris, France. The ad hoc Group discussed a range of issues, including position papers prepared on RNA-based biotechnologies and on nanotechnologies; the follow-up to an international symposium on animal genomics for animal health; and timetables for preparation of background papers on topics such as RNA-based technologies for the treatment and control of animal diseases or transgenic animal technology for livestock. See http://www.oie.int/downld/SC/2008/A_BSC_Jan2008.pdf (report included as Appendix III, pages 13-26, 619 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.
05/06/2008
All 21 articles from the December 2007 issue of the OIE Scientific and Technical Review are now available on the web. Submitted by experts from around the world, they describe different animal disease surveillance strategies and the control and elimination of important animal diseases. The organisation of veterinary services is also discussed, as are diagnosis and vaccines. See the issue or contact [email protected] for more information. The Scientific and Technical Review is a peer-reviewed journal published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) three times a year which contains in-depth studies devoted to current scientific and technical developments in animal health and veterinary public health world-wide.
04/06/2008
Issue number 19 (April 2008) of the OECD Biotechnology Update is now available. Presented by OECD`s Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology, the 25-page newsletter aims to provide updated information on activities at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development related to biotechnology. See http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/33/1/40628456.pdf (382 KB) or contact [email protected] for more information.
03/06/2008
As part of its IFPRI Discussion Papers series, the International Food Policy Research Institute has just published "Plant genetic resources for agriculture, plant breeding, and biotechnology: Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela" by J. Falck-Zepeda and co-authors. Using data from a global survey that FAO and its partners have been carrying out on national plant breeding and related biotechnology capacity, the 48-page study examines investments in human and financial resources and the distribution of resources among the different programs, as well as the capacity and policy development for agricultural research in the four selected countries. See http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/ifpridp00762.asp or contact [email protected] for more information.
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