Author : Cohen, Joel I.; Falconi, Cesar A.; Komen, John

Summary : Conclusion and recommendations: This chapter summarized needs identified by stakeholders in developing countries with regard to management and policy implications arising from agricultural biotechnology. The policy seminars confirmed a number of significant findings, many of which are addressed in this book, and relate to broader agricultural strategies as put forward by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI, 1995), as well as to ongoing work by many other sources of capacity building and collaboration (see Ives and Bedford 1998). Some of the most important findings reinforced the following: a) building capacity and competency in biotechnology poses complex and difficult investment decisions for many developing countries; b) enhancing the management of biotechnology research must be given high importance. However, training opportunities are limited, with most support provided instead for fundamental research; c) using biotechnology to address agricultural objectives necessitates building on a strong foundation of conventional research; d) time frames for development of biotechnology products, capabilities, and policies are long term, often taking 10-15 years; e) socioeconomic considerations, defining appropriate priorities, and addressing end-user needs have gained renewed importance, as these are means to ensure that broader segments of the agricultural sector benefit from biotechnology research; f) biosafety competence is of highest national importance, regardless of the technological level of the country; g) new institutional partnerships and collaboration are crucial to building competency . However, they are also complicated by the nature of the private sector, proprietary technologies, and regulatory concerns.