THE ECONOMICS OF BIOSAFETY: IMPLICATIONS FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

There is a growing body of literature on the safe use of biotechnology and the need for an international biosafety protocol and national regulations to facilitate the safe development and transfer of biotechnology. Most of these studies, however, address the issue of biosafety from a scientific, legal, environmental and organizational perspective. The purpose of this paper is to add to this discussion by providing an economic perspective on regulating products of agricultural biotechnology, with special emphasis on implications for developing countries who are under increasing pressure to put a biosafety framework in place. The paper provides a brief discussion on the economic rationale for biosafety regulations, explains the economic benefits and costs of biosafety, and discusses the appropriate form of biosafety policy and the effects of regulation on resource allocation. The benefits of biosafety discussed include - the reduction of possible human and environmental risks of biotechnology products and "accident" costs to the society; increased predictability for a research organization of the expected time and money to get a new product on the market; making the products of biotechnology accessible to a country; and the provision of certainty and stability to the social framework, necessary for the development of biotechnology research and development activities. Developing countries should balance these potential benefits with the tangible costs of biosafety regulation to the biotechnology organizations and the society. To a biotechnology organization, biosafety will increase the research lag, production costs, transaction costs and marketing costs. Given the scarcity of human and physical resources, setting up a biosafety system also poses opportunity costs to the society. The following issues need careful examination in designing a biosafety policy in a developing country: the goal of biosafety policy; the appropriate means of controlling risk; the impact of biosafety on scientific development and private investments; the impact of biosafety on the international transfer of technology and international trade; the incidence of biosafety costs; and the size of biosafety system. Keywords: Biosafety, economic aspects, developing countries, agriculture, biotechnology, researchBiosafety, economic aspects, developing countries, agriculture, biotechnology, research, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Curriculum Enhancement and Reform to Meet the Needs of Smallholder Farmers in Developing Countries: Survey of Literature

The agricultural education system plays an important role in developing knowledge resources and preparing well-trained individuals and the next generation of labor force that becomes part of the public sector (government), the private sector (entrepreneurs, farm producers, agri-business entities) and the NGOs. An education system that is innovative and responsive to the complex and rapidly changing work environment is critical to ensure the effectiveness of all the institutions that contribute to agricultural development agenda. To make the education system responsive requires developing and implementing curriculum and teaching programs that are relevant to the production needs and employment demands of the agricultural sector. This paper reviews the literature on experiences gained in the development of innovative and demand-driven curriculum to make the postsecondary agricultural education system serve the needs of smallholder farmers in developing countries. The paper reviews the desired characteristics of the formal post-secondary educational system to be effective in fulfilling its role in supplying well-trained and productive work force for the agricultural economy. The current general state of agricultural curriculum in developing countries is reviewed with respect to these desired characteristics. The paper also presents a review of experiences gained in implementing different approaches to develop, enhance and reform agricultural curriculum, identifies constraints, challenges and successful examples of such approaches, and derives recommendations for ways forward.Tertiary education, Curriculum reform, Training, Capacity building, Agricultural development, Developing countries, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, Labor and Human Capital, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, O15:Human Resources-Human Development-Income Distribution-Migration, M53:Training, I23: Higher Education and Research Institutions, Q16:R&D-Agricultural Technology-Biofuels-Agricultural Extension Services,

Facilitating Seed Sector Transformation in Africa: Key Findings from the Literature

Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008 - July 2009: 9,

Impacts of U.S. Graduate Degree Training on Capacity Building in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the Pulse CRSP

The Dry Grain Pulses Collaborative Research Support Program (Pulse CRSP) had allocated a major part of its resources to providing graduate degree training (GDT) of scientists/researchers in order to strengthen agricultural research capacity in Africa, Latin America, and the U.S. However, no systematic attempt had been made to assess the impact of this investment. The study adopted the Kirkpatrick framework as a guide for evaluating the impacts of GDT by the Pulse CRSP. The results were drawn from a survey of former trainees and researchers, supplemented by interviews with scientists and program administrators and an institutional case study. An important finding was that over 86% of host country trainees returned to their home country. In their enhanced capacity, trainees made contributions to the advancement of bean/cowpea research that can be attributed to their graduate degree training. Trainees reported that their GDT was necessary for their professional development and was highly relevant to their current job responsibility.Impact assessment, Pulse CRSP, USAID, Training, Graduate degree, Beans, Cowpeas, International Development, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, Q16-R&D-Agricultural technology-Biofuels-Agricultural Extension Services,

No Shortcuts to Progress: An Assessment of Agricultural Research Planning and Priority Setting in Africa

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Downloads July 2008-June 2009: 7,

Seed Sector Evolution in Zambia and Zimbabwe: Has Farmer Access Improved Following Economic Reforms?

Crop Production/Industries, Downloads July 2008-June 2009: 19,

Biotechnology and the African Farmer

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Ecological Observations on Predatory Coccinellidae (Coleoptera) in Southwestern Michigan

Ecological observations on habitat utilization by thirteen species of predatory Coccinellidae were made at a southern Michigan site during 1989 and 1990. Most of species were common during both years and used both agricul- tural and uncultivated habitats. Coccinella septempunctata and Coleomegilla maculata, were the most abundant in agricultural crops (alfalfa, maize, soy- bean and triticale), whereas Adalia bipunctata and Cycloneda munda, were the most abundant in deciduous and bushy habitats

Building Human Resources in Bioenergy: An International Training Program at Michigan State University

Biofuels and bioenergy has become a global issue due to the widespread interest in finding and developing alternatives to fossil fuels, including biofuels, while ensuring food security and environmental quality. Many developing countries have ample and unique bio-resources to utilize for generating bioenergy and have an opportunity to harness their rich biological resources. Education, capacity building, information, dialogue and networking are critical to better formulate appropriate policies, research, development, and outreach programs to address energy issues for sustainable development. Currently there is a lack of training programs, courses and curriculum devoted to biofuels/bioenergy

Observations of First Occurrence and Severity of Potato Leafhopper, \u3ci\u3eEmpoasca Fabae\u3c/i\u3e (Harris), (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in the North Central and Eastern United States.

This paper presents available data on the first occurrence dates and the damage severity of the potato leafhopper in the north central and north eastern United States collected during the past 47 years (1951-1997). The data were collected from a variety of sources including: potato leafhopper literature review; published reports; pest alerts; pest surveys; and delphi surveys. First occurrence and severity data show that the arrival time of potato leafhopper and subsequent damage severity varies substantially from year to year. A correlation analysis between date of first occurrence and severity of damage for Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the north central region and the northeastern region indicated no significant relationship between first arrival dates and damage severity. The lack of a relationship between the time of arrival of the migrant leafhopper and severity indicate that other factors, including frequency and magnitude of arrivals, weather conditions during the growing season and crop management contribute to the eventual severity of damage caused to crops by this migratory pest. The analysis of potato leafhopper severity data showed significant differences between years. There were no significant differences in severity among states within the north central region, indicating that potato leafhopper severity is a regional phenomenon