Jump to content

Key websites on agriculture

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, School of Government, the University of the Western Cape, South Africa (PLAAS)

Future Agricultures Consortium

Faostat, FAO

Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture / LEISA (ILEIA)

Search the complete websites of key organisations working on agriculture. More...

Agriculture

New key issues guide: biotechnology and development - an overview

Q. Shen / Panos Pictures

A decade ago there was much hope and hype about the potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to feed the world and solve many poverty and development issues. This guide asks whether GM crops have had a positive impact on development and how complex social, economic and political contexts are being taken into account. One of the key questions posed is: what are the realistic prospects of a pro-poor gene revolution? The key issues guide reviews these issues, organised into four sections, and recommends further reading.

Latest Additions

GM crops: is it a pro-poor technology?: ( D. Glover / STEPS Centre, Institute of Development Studies , 2009); Many people and organisations have sought to promote genetically modified (GM) crops as a ‘pro-poor’ technology; however, developing-country farmers’ experiences with GM crops have b...
A mechanism for reducing emissions: introducing the principle of global additionality: ( A. Angelsen;S. Brown;C. Loisel / Meridian Institute , 2009); This report assesses several important considerations for a future reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) mechanism. The report also intends to inform policy makers about ...
Genetically-modified crops: potential benefits and risks: ( N. Makoni;J. Mohamed-Katerere;M. Chenje / United Nations [UN] Environment Programme , 2009); This paper explores the debates around Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and food security and the challenge for policymakers on how to respond to the uncertainty about the relative opportunitie...
Can the private sector deliver an effective extension system?: ( D. Glover / Participation abstracts and document collection, IDS , 2007); This article examines how private sector organisations are increasingly becoming important players in the provision of agricultural extension services, as well as crop research, in the global South...
Mobilising against GM crops: any role for knowledge and politics?: ( I. Scoones / Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK , 2005); This paper looks at how knowledge is deployed and science constructed in different spaces of engagement activists use in campaigning against GM crops in India, South Africa and Brazil. It highlight...
Biotechnology and political economy: do they match?: ( P. Newell;J. Martin / Cambridge University , 2009); This paper examines relations between the state and capital in Argentina with respect to agricultural biotechnology. Argentina is one of the world's leading exporters of genetically modified (GM) c...
Is large-scale private land acquisition beneficial to Africa?: ( L. Cotula;S. Vermeulan;R. Leonard / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations , 2009); Over 2008 large-scale acquisitions of farmland in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Southeast Asia have increased. This report discusses key trends and drivers in land acquisitions, the contract...
Are agricultural corporations responding to environmental issues?: ( K. Jansen;S. Vellema / Zed Books , 2004); How far are agribusiness corporations responding to emerging environmental awareness to play their part in the 'greening' of agriculture and food? Are they developing new environmentally-friendly prod...
GM a solution to the food crisis?: ( A. Ely / Science and Technology Policy Research, Sussex , 2008); Transgenic crops are being put forward as a solution to the food crisis. The controversies that dogged their introduction, at least in Europe, are being dismissed as dangerous distractions. ...
Is food safety policy an obstacle or driver of GM uptake?: ( E. Millstone / Science and Technology Policy Research, Sussex , 2006); The politics of food safety is a highly contested field. Not only are there disputes about the safety and acceptability of particular products and processes, there are also disputes about how food saf...