VALUING PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES: AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF UTILIZATION OF THE U.S. NATIONAL CROP GERMPLASM COLLECTION

Exploration of a germplasm collection for a particular trait is viewed as a search within a given distribution. An optimal strategy would be to search and collect additional accessions for traits as long as expected benefit is greater or equal to the cost of collecting, conserving and testing it. The probability of finding a desirable trait depends on the number of accessions that are screened for the trait, and the distribution of that trait in the collection or in certain subcollections. This study will estimate the expected net return from an additional search opportunity in regard to several pest resistance traits for soybeans both when the additional accession is from the existing collection, and when it is newly acquired.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

International Collaboration in Crop Improvement Research: Current Status and Future Prospects

Investments over the past 35 years have created a system of national and international research centers that has revolutionized the supply of improved cereal varieties to developing country farmers. The newly created scientific ability to exploit genetic resources has been the engine of productivity growth in much of world agriculture. But the success that has been attained in building research institutions has not touched all countries or farmers, nor can it be considered permanent. The financial and political environment of the past decade has halted the expansion of agricultural research capacity and the scarcity of research resources and evolving world intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes complicates the search for stable arrangements for cooperation. This paper examines the current structure and institutional capacity of the international crop breeding systems for rice and wheat. Discussions are presented within the context of a system composed of research functions spanning the basic to applied research spectrum. The model emphasizes that an efficient and stable international system may be comprised of many partner institutions, each with a limited breadth of research activities, particularly when research budgets are fixed or declining. The paper concludes with a review of some of the trends that will influence the future direction of research cooperation.Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Winners and Losers: Formula versus Competitive Funding of Agricultural Research

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, O3, O4, Q16,

Winners and Losers: Formula versus Competitive Funding of Agricultural Research

State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAESs) were established with federal formula funding by the Hatch Act of 1887. In 1955, the Hatch Act was amended and a number of subsequent formula funding programs were consolidated under the USDA Cooperative States Research Service (CSRS), which today is known as the Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). Currently, all of the Hatch funds and a small amount of other formula funds go to SAESs. In 1977, CSRS established its first competitive research grant program. However, this program remained quite small until 1990, when it was re-named the National Research Initiative (NRI) Competitive Grants Program with a much larger funding authorization. Currently, the SAESs account for 60% of U.S. public agricultural research, with 7% of SAESs funding obtained from Hatch funds and 2.3% from NRI Grant funds (Huffman & Evenson, 2006b, pp. 107, 117- 118). Hence, the SAES system has become relatively diversified in its funding sources after starting with only Hatch funding

Ex-ante Impact Assessment of GM Papaya Adoption in Thailand

Despite the evidence of benefits from GM papaya's adoption in other countries, concerns over the loss of export markets and health and environmental risks have led to great uncertainty and indecision about policies to support biotechnology in Thailand. Since 2001, field trials have been banned and the use of transgenic plants for production, consumption, or commercialization has been prohibited. Field trials in government fields were reinstated in December 2007, but agricultural biotechnology policies remain unclear. This article estimates what the economic impact of the adoption of GM papaya would be if Thailand were to authorize the use of GM technology.Financial support of this study was received from CropLife (Thailand) and the Biotechnology Alliance Association

Assessing the prospects for the transfer of genetically modified crop varities to developing countries

Although genetically modified varieties (GMVs) have been commercially successful in the United States (U.S.), their future in developing countries (DCs) with smaller markets is uncertain. How likely is it that relatively small countries will gain access to GMV technology? Will the dominance of biotechnology by multinational firms make GMV technology too expensive for small DCs? In this paper we attempt to draw lessons from the U.S. experience to speculate on the prospects for developing countries to gain access to GMV technology. We conclude that small countries could be attractive markets for life science and seed companies if biosafety and intellectual property systems become institutionalized.Includes bibliographical reference

The Economic Impacts of Biotechnology-Based Technological Innovations

Global adoption of transgenic crops reached 67.7 million hectares in 2003 from 2.8 million in 1996. Delivery has occurred almost entirely through the private sector and adoption has been rapid in areas where the crops addressed serious production constraints and where farmers had access to the new technologies. Three countries (USA, Argentina and Canada), three crops (soybean, cotton and maize) and two traits (insect resistance and herbicide tolerance) account for the vast majority of global transgenic area. While some farmers in some developing countries are benefiting, most do not have access to transgenic crops and traits that address their needs. This paper surveys the level and distribution of the economic impacts of transgenic cotton and soybeans to date and reviews the impacts of these crops on chemical pesticide and herbicide use. It concludes with some considerations of ways to address the development and delivery of technological innovations to small farmers in developing countries