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Biotechnology

Since the greatest concentrations of undernourished people are in rural areas, this is where interventions should be focused.…One place to start is by helping farmers used technologies that improve the nutritional content of staple crops….Ending chronic malnutrition among the rural poor will require more than just providing smallholder farmers with better seeds….Helping smallholder farmers increase production of a varied selection of fruits and vegetables can help improve rural livelihoods and support greater dietary diversification (Hunger Report 2006, Page 102 and 104) Cross Reference: Malnutrition and Agriculture
BFWI supports Africa's right to choose whether to pursue the use of crop biotechnology. Therefore, we support an increase in funding to build Africa's capacity to carry out unbiased evaluations of biotechnology's benefits and risks, establish appropriate biosafety policies and institutions, and participate in related international negotiations. We support the restructuring of the current intellectual property rights system to protect indigenous resources and ensure access to the technology and distribution of its benefits to all, including smallholder African farmers (Hunger Report 2003, Side Bar: Page 85). Cross Reference: African Agriculture
Current efforts to integrate research institutions into regional networks should be supported and strengthened to promote technology sharing, capacity building and efficient allocation of scarce resources. Renewed interest in African agriculture by the World Bank, USAID, European Union and others, should translate into additional funding that allows African scientists and policymakers to explore new technological innovations for increasing food production and quality, such as organic farming and agricultural biotechnology (Hunger Report 2003, Page 83). Cross Reference: African Agriculture and Development Aid to Africa

The ultimate goal of U. S. farm programs must be to promote sustainable agriculture, reduce rural poverty and eliminate food insecurity, both in the United States and throughout the world. Toward this end, the United States should: gradually eliminate tariffs on developing country agriculture exports, export subsidies and production-linked domestic support payments; support U.S. farmers who leave agriculture with adjustment assistance that would include counseling, job training, education reimbursement and transportation aid; support small and mid-size farmers with comprehensive rural development programs and technical assistance in adopting new technologies and developing greater economies of scale; establish provisions for farmers to help them sustain losses resulting from catastrophic weather events; strengthen assistance for farmers in meeting conservation goals and environmental mandates, including increased technical assistance, cost-share programs and incentive payments for use of environmentally friendly practices; increase research and regulation in areas, such as biotechnology, food safety, disease prevention and environmental quality; invest in rural communities by supporting economic development initiatives, job training, business promotion and infrastructure development, and reduce hunger in the United States (through nutrition and poverty reduction programs) and worldwide (through development assistance and trade opportunities), with this adding to the ongoing demand for food production (Hunger Report 2003, Page 55) Cross Reference: Agriculture--Domestic, International, Environment--International, Food Security--International, Rural Development--Domestic, International, Nutrition Programs, Trade, and Development Assistance.

Any assessment of biotechnology's potential and risks in Africa must take into account the continent's specific and varied needs, conditions and circumstances. It is imperative that Africans make their own decisions about whether to adopt specific agricultural biotechnology (Hunger Report 2002, Page 81) Cross Reference: African Agriculture

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