an Eldis Resource

This discussion paper is a follow-up to the 1999 Report, Genetically modified crops: the ethical and social issues. Contributed as part of the UK public consultation on GM it aims to assess the potential risks and benefits associated with the use of genetically modified (GM) crops in developing countries in relation to improving food security and economically valuable agriculture. The authors draw on a variety of case studies from developing countries.

The paper finds that:

• in particular cases, GM crops can contribute to substantial progress in improving agriculture in parallel to the inevitably slow changes at the socio-political level.
• the use of GM crops can, in some circumstances, have considerable potential to increase yields of crops, thereby improving agricultural practice and the livelihood of poor people in developing countries.
• GM crops can be used to prevent environmental degradation, and to address specific ecological and agricultural problems which have proved less responsive to the standard tools of plant breeding and organic or conventional agricultural practices.
• there is an ethical obligation to explore these potential benefits responsibly, in order to contribute to the reduction of poverty, and to improve food security and economically valuable agriculture
• there is not enough evidence of actual or potential harm to justify a moratorium on either research, field trials, or the controlled release of GM crops into the environment at this stage
• possible costs, benefits and risks associated with particular GM crops can only be assessed on a case by case basis. Any assessment needs to take into account a variety of factors, such as the gene, or combination of genes, being inserted, the target crop, and the agro-ecology and economy of the developing country
• much of the current research on GM crops serves the interest of large-scale farmers in developed countries. There is also continuing concentration in the number of companies that control between them the provision of seeds, agrochemicals and important research technology. Consequently there is a serious risk that the needs of small-scale farmers in developing countries will be neglected
• particular care needs to be given to the way in which the precautionary principle is applied when making decisions about the use of GM crops. Highly restrictive interpretations invoke the fallacy of thinking that the option of ‘doing nothing’ is itself without risk. However, in some cases the use of a GM crop variety may well pose fewer risks than the agricultural system already in operation
• with regard to the implications of EU regulation on GM foods the authors find that current and proposed regulatory provisions have not sufficiently considered the effect that these policy instruments are likely to have on those dependent upon the agricultural sector in developing countries.
• on food aid, the preferences of developing countries dependent on emergency food aid must be taken seriously. A genuine choice between GM and non-GM food must be offered, where this is possible.

The report recommends:

• a focus on the specific situation in particular countries and to ask the question: ‘How does the use of a GM crop compare to other alternatives?’
• research on the use of GM crops in developing countries should be sustained
• "genuinely" additional resources be committed by governments, the European Commission and others, to fund a major expansion of public GM-related research into tropical and sub-tropical staple foods, suitable for the needs of small-scale farmers
• in applying the precautionary principle, risks arising from the option of inaction must also be considered
• the EU, the Department for International Development (DFID) and appropriate non-governmental organisations who monitor agricultural policy of developing countries pay particular attention to the consequences of EU regulatory policies for GM crops

[adapted from authors' summary]

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