The interplay between societal concerns and the regulatory frame on GM crops in the European Union

Recapitulating how genetic modification technology and its agro-food products aroused strong societal opposition in the European Union, this paper demonstrates how this opposition contributed to shape the European regulatory frame on GM crops. More specifically, it describes how this opposition contributed to a de facto moratorium on the commercialization of new GM crop events in the end of the nineties. From this period onwards, the regulatory frame has been continuously revised in order to slow down further erosion of public and market confidence. Various scientific and technical reforms were made to meet societal concerns relating to the safety of GM crops. In this context, the precautionary principle, environmental post-market monitoring and traceability were adopted as ways to cope with scientific uncertainties. Labeling, traceability, co-existence and public information were installed in an attempt to meet the general public request for more information about GM agro-food products, and the specific demand to respect the consumers' and farmers' freedom of choice. Despite these efforts, today, the explicit role of public participation and/or ethical consultation during authorization procedures is at best minimal. Moreover, no legal room was created to progress to an integral sustainability evaluation during market procedures. It remains to be seen whether the recent policy shift towards greater transparency about value judgments, plural viewpoints and scientific uncertainties will be one step forward in integrating ethical concerns more explicitly in risk analysis. As such, the regulatory frame stands open for further interpretation, reflecting in various degrees a continued interplay with societal concerns relating to GM agro-food products. In this regard, both societal concerns and diversely interpreted regulatory criteria can be inferred as signaling a request – and even a quest – to render more explicit the broader-than-scientific dimension of the actual risk analysis

Lack of Sherpas for a GMO Escape Route in the EU

Published in German Law Journal, Volume 10, Number 8, 2009, pages 1169-1199Food Security and Poverty,

A study of stakeholder views to shape a communication strategy for GMO in Brazil

sem informaçãoThis paper analyzes the view of stakeholders on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the implications of these views on communication strategies for agricultural biotechnology in Brazil. It identifies and describes common groups of attitudes toward G3179110sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçã

Rice and Water: The Final Frontier

Outlines the threat of diminishing water resources for rice crops, the economic and social dimensions of the droughts' potential effects, and the new cultural systems and adapted rice varieties being pursued as potential solutions

Professional development with an emphasis on barriers, motivation, and attitudes regarding teaching biotechnology concepts

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the role of agriculture education in providing instruction on concepts of biotechnology in a manner that helps students to focus on the science behind the process. This study examines the factors that influence educators understanding of biotechnology, and their willingness to provide instruction on concepts surrounding aspects of biotechnology. This study encompassed 4 specific objectives. 1) Describe the breadth of professional development activities in biotechnology education. 2) Describe demographic characteristics and experiences of agricultural educators, as it pertains to their comfort level in presenting agricultural biotechnology topics in the classroom. 3) Identify current biotechnology professional development efforts utilized to stimulate long term use of biotechnology curriculum. 4) Identify motivation for teachers to include biotechnology curriculum into the classroom. Objective one is explored within Chapter 3, which provides an extensive literature review, exploring definitions and history of biotechnology, as well as describing the role of education and the diffusion of innovation. In this, Chapter 3 looks at professional development experiences and resources available in the area of biotechnology. Chapter 4 explored teachers’ confidence level in teaching biotechnology concepts, the professional development activities, as well as motivation and perceived barriers to teaching the concepts. The Chapter explored the demographic information of the agricultural educators (n = 74) in the study, including discussing the examples of professional development opportunities the educators participated in and the resources they utilized in the classroom. This chapter addresses the research objectives two and three. The fifth chapter focuses on a snapshot of agricultural science teachers (n = 12) whom have participated in either a National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) or National FFA Teacher Workshop or have had students participating in a state-level Biotechnology Career Development Event (CDE). The teachers in the study came from 8 different states and all provided instruction in agriculture on the secondary level. Chapter 5 examines the third and fourth research objectives, with an article providing descriptive information on educator’s background teaching biotechnology education, professional development experiences within biotechnology, and motivations and perceived barriers to the inclusion of biotechnology concepts within their curriculum. Chapter six includes the dissertation’s general conclusions and recommendations from the research. Overall, this study provides agricultural groups, including state associations, those involved in the creation of both professional development experiences and curriculum, a snapshot of the needs of agricultural science teachers, as well as an understanding of their motivations and perceived barriers in presenting biotechnology concepts to secondary students

Contested rationality: early regulation of GMO releases in Britain

This thesis analyses the development of safety regulation for the intentional release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) between 19 89-92, especially in Britain in its European context, and by contrast to the USA. The thesis emphasizes the practical dilemmas of GMO regulation in accommodating uncertainties about public unease and environmental harm. It serves as a case study of safety regulation as a constructed rationality, of national regulatory styles, and of environmental precaution. In anticipating hazards prior to evidence of harm, GMO regulation had a contested 'rational' basis. Regulators encountered disputes in defining the risk problem, in establishing risk-management institutions, and in reducing scientific uncertainty about potential harm. Insofar as GMO regulation had a precautionary content, it undermined the 'rational' stereotype of risk-assessment steps. Both the precautionary potential and its limits derived from the project of overcoming obstacles to a biotechnology market. This meant symbolically normalizing GMOs as benign products, while specifying testable ecological uncertainties rooted in some naturalistic analogy. Technical 'risk' abstracted potential harm from issues of socioagronomic control which underlay the earlier environmental controversy. The thesis argues for recasting theoretical models of safety regulation as a 'technical' or 'procedural' rationality. GMO regulation contained poles of tension which such theoretical models attribute to antagonistic rationalities. Broadly speaking, the regulatory system was managing an internal contradiction between social legitimacy and commercialization. The difficulties of GMO regulation arose from its implicit role in legitimizing biotechnology, by default of any democratic procedure for adjudicating a contentious technoscientific development

An analysis of public perception towards consuming genetically modified crops and the acceptance of modern agricultural biotechnology: a South African case study

Text in EnglishSouth Africa is one of the biggest producers of genetically modified crops in the world. However, recent studies in South Africa show a low public willingness to consume genetically modified crops and accept modern agricultural biotechnology. The study analysed public perception towards consuming genetically modified crops and the acceptance of modern agricultural biotechnology in South Africa. 220 participants (N = 220) were sampled from the city of Kempton Park and the Chi-square formula was used to determine how well the sample represented the population under study. Data was collected using a 7-point Likert scale questionnaire designed following the guidelines for developing a theory of planned behaviour questionnaire in Ajzen (1991, 2001). Data analyses were carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The Cronbach’s alpha and Exploratory Factor Analysis were both used to determine the internal consistency and validity of the questionnaire. Correlations, independent sample t-tests, ANOVA, linear regression, and path analysis were also conducted. Findings of the study confirmed that there is low public willingness to consume genetically modified crops and to accept modern agricultural biotechnology in South Africa.Development StudiesM.A. (Development Studies

Technology Wars: The Failure of Democratic Discourse

Conflicts over the use and regulation of various technologies pervade public discourse and have dramatic implications for the public interest. Controversies over the regulation of genetically modified products, nuclear power, and nanotechnology, among others, provoke some of the most socially and politically volatile debates of our time. These technology conflicts extract a substantial price from society--they create costly inefficiencies, prevent society from optimally managing new technologies, consume vast resources, and retard technological growth. This Article develops a framework for understanding technology controversies, and consequently proposes new means for resolving or ameliorating a variety of seemingly intractable legal and regulatory standoffs. These teachings have potentially far-reaching consequences for conflict resolution in non-technology areas as well