Joel I. Cohen (ed.) (1999), Managing Agricultural Biotechnology. Addressing Research Program Needs and Policy Implications. Biotechnology in Agriculture Series No. 23. CABI Publishing in association with ISNAR. [Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, UK; http://www.cabi.org/Bookshop/] ISBN 0 85199 400 8; 340 p.; Price: US$ 90.

Managing agricultural biotechnology is an invaluable addition to the literature, especially for all those involved in one way or another in decision-making and in the safe development and management of biotechnology in developing countries. Although it is aimed principally at research managers, this information will also be useful to a much wider audience.

This book distils the experience of the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) on a range of topics of concern to the biotechnology research community, to policy-makers, aid agencies and the public at large. It addresses some of the more contentious issues surrounding the current international debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and provides concrete examples of case and country studies. Topics range from identifying needs and setting priorities for agricultural biotechnology research, through human and genetic resource management, to addressing environmental concerns. An informative appendix discusses electronic information on biotechnology, including major web sites.

The book’s key messages give cause for cautious optimism. Biotechnology does indeed have much to offer as it can have a positive impact on food security and on the sustainability of agriculture. However, for its full potential to be realized by developing countries, a number of conditions need to be met. These include: (1) political will to promote biotechnology; (2) the mobilization of considerable financial and human resources for research and development (R&D) and technology transfer; (3) the design, implementation and effective monitoring of regulatory systems both for biosafety and intellectual property rights (IPR); (4) the active participation of all concerned, particularly farmers, in decision-making regarding biotechnology; and (5) international collaboration.

One cause for concern is the bleak future for ‘public-good’ technologies in the changed environment in which public research institutions and those of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system now operate. Increasingly, proprietary technology will be used in the research process. As illustrated in Chapter 20 (on the change of heart at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation Embrapa) and in Chapter 21, it is important that the IPR issue is confronted at institutional level. At the same time, it is cautioned that in the case of public institutions the revenues generated by their own proprietary technology may not greatly outweigh the costs of taking out patents or other forms of intellectual property.

The book is reassuring with respect to environmental concerns, provided effective biosafety systems are in place. Taking the example of genetic engineering of rice at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the book shows how evaluation of potential negative and positive impacts on health and the environment can be incorporated at planning and research stages. Similarly, the book illustrates how the development of pest resistance to transgenic crops can be managed, but cautions that "no transgenic plants should be commercially released into the field unless the project is implemented in the context of integrated pest management." Clearly, ensuring environmental safety and responsibility are management- and time-intensive activities and therefore costly.

One important message, particularly for those countries with very limited resources to divert towards biotechnology research and management, is that many opportunities exist for international collaboration in research, training or upgrading competence in biosafety or IPR. These opportunities may not be cost-free - and indeed there are advantages to having a genuine stake in any collaborative effort - but as experience and information on these issues is accumulated and updated, it becomes easier to learn from the experience of others.

One shortcoming of the book is its lack of cost estimates on investments in biotechnology R&D, on setting up different types of biotechnology laboratories (from tissue culture to genetic engineering) and on setting up biosafety procedures. In fact, it has taken a long time for agricultural economists to tackle the economics of biotechnology, a situation that is beginning to be remedied. A second shortcoming is the absence of examples of technology transfer in the farmers’ fields. There are recent examples of successful biotechnology product delivery to resource-poor farmers, for example disease-free banana planting material in Kenya, which should help convince governments of the benefits of investing in biotechnology research.
Carliene Brenner