agricultural biotechnology benefits and impact: global perspective

Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/

Global Biotech Impacts&

Importance of Science in Outreach

Donna Ramaeker Zahn, Global Outreach Strategist

Indonesia – 2014


Outline

• Introduction to IFPRI / PBS

• Facts of biotechnology

– Production

– Products

– Potential

– Benefits

• Effective communication is difficult & essential


PBS – Who We Are & How We Work

• Independent

– IFPRI part of CGIAR systems & centers

– Share the evidence and science of biosafety

– No product to sell

• Local knowledge through sustained local teams

• A diverse, comprehensive, integrated approach

– Food, feed and environmental safety experts

– Independent policy research

– Legal analysis

– Innovative and integrated outreach approaches

• Reproducible models and best practices


Where We Work

• Africa

– Kenya

– Uganda

– Nigeria

– Malawi

– Tanzania

– Ghana

– Ethiopia

– Regional harmonization• COMESA, ECOWAS

• Asia

– Vietnam

– Indonesia

– Philippines

• Global

• Cartagena Protocol


Services We Provide

• Capacity building for national biosafety officials

• Technical support for development of operational biosafety policies

• Guidelines for safety trials

• Farmer release guidelines

• Functional coordination among

agencies

• Strategic outreach & communication

– Science fact management

– Capacity building for decision makers

• Strategy support


Grown in 27 countries on 175.3m ha.

Of the 17.3 million farmers, about 14.7 million were small farmers

from China, India and the Philippines.


Global Use & Development

GMO Answers


GM Crops Being Grown

Reduced Pesticide Use No-till Compatible

₋ Insect resistant maize - Herbicide tolerant canola

₋ Insect resistant cotton - Herbicide tolerant cotton

₋ Virus resistant squash - Herbicide tolerant maize

₋ Insect resistant soybean - Herbicide tolerant soybean

₋ Virus resistant papaya - Herbicide tolerant sugar beet

http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/

http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/


Results

Conventional

BiotechInsect Protected Corn Virus Protected Paypaya

Damage

Damage

Protected

- Biotech


Additional Potential

• Banana

– Enhanced nutrition

– Disease resistant

• Cowpea

– Insect resistant

• Cassava

– Virus resistant


• Maize

– Drought tolerant

• Rice

– Salt & drought tolerant


• Sugarcane– Drought tolerant

• Eggplant– Insect tolerant


Benefits

ISAAA


Benefits

We started to plant Bt corn in 2003. Because of planting Bt corn, we were able to buy a house and lot, farm machineries and even farm land.”

Indalencio Supan

Balitucan, Magalang

Pampanga, Philippines

ISAAA


Benefits

• Realized

– Herbicide tolerant• Reduced tillage – 90%

• Reduced exposure to chemicals

• Reduction in active ingredient – 44%

• Fossil fuel savings

– Insect resistant• 80% reduction in insecticides

• Improved biodiversity w/ IPM

• Reduced levels of fumonisin in grain

Smyth et al, 2010; Murray, 2006; Graham, 2012; Kershen, 2006

• Anticipated: Climate Change Adaptive

– Drought tolerant• Water conservation

• Maintaining yield under stress

– Fertilizer efficiency• Reduced runoff into

water

• Maintaining yield

– Nutrition improvement• Increased contributions

• Reduction of suffering


Why is Biotechnology so Interesting?

• 2 decades of proven, safe use….

– 2 trillion meals eaten

– 100 billion animals fed

– There’s NOT a single validated harm caused by biotech

• It’s size neutral

– Small holder farmers and large farmers are benefiting

• The communications gap

– Digital media explosion without traditional media ethics

– Biotech has not told an emotion-based story

– Scientists struggle to communicate

• Fear is created by misinformation


Non-Scientists Scientists/Technical

The Communications Gap

Headline /

Conclusion

Conclusion

Info relevant

to conclusion

Technical Theory

Collecting data

- adjusting

theory

Background - The rest

of the story

Scientists struggle to communicate


• Dahlstrom 2014 research

– “Non scientists get most of their science information from mass media, which is biased toward narrative formats” –or storytelling.

– Gap occurs due to “distinctly different brain cognitive pathways for comprehension” or understanding.• Scientists – Paradigmatic pathway – deductive reasoning

• General public – situation-based exemplars

– In direct comparison, narrative formats are:• Generally more efficient

• Recalled twice as well – regardless of prior topic knowledge

• Read twice as fast

The Communications GapScientists struggle to communicate


• Narratives represent the default mode of human thought

• Creates an ethical dilemma for scientists

– Narratives are understood to be persuasive

– Scientists represent the facts only – which are difficult to understand

• General public receives most scientific information from internet in narrative format

The Communications GapScientists struggle to communicate


In Narrative Format

Scientist

General Public Reaction

Fiske, Dupree 2014


The Communications Gap

Via Peter Singer


Communications Gap Can Create Misunderstanding and Misinformation


Summary

• One innovation that is useful to solve issues facing agriculture

• Two decades of safe use and consumption

• Millions of hectares

• Farm-size neutral

• Important that scientists communicate knowledge in a way that it is understood


• Terima Kasih!

• Thank you!

agricultural biotechnology benefits and impact: global perspective

Food

biosafety systems http

science of biosafety

independent ifpri

cgiar systems centers

integrated outreach

reduced exposure

planting bt corn

chemicals reduction