UN's Position on Biotech

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Mar 05, 2010 at 20:28:47 PM PST

"Modern and conventional biotechnologies provide potent tools for the agriculture sector, including fisheries and forestry," said FAO Assistant Director-General Modibo Traore.

"But biotechnologies are not yet making a significant impact in the lives of people in most developing countries," Mr. Traore told the FAO-sponsored conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries in Guadalajara, Mexico.

He told participants at the four-day gathering, co-hosted by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), that most poor nations currently lack appropriate and useful technologies, policies, technical capacities, and the necessary infrastructure for the development, evaluation and deployment of biotechnologies. [emphasis mine]

However, the agency noted that there is often an emphasis on genetically modified organisms only, underscoring the need for a new approach to agricultural research and development which supports a wider use of biodiversity to promote development and improve food security.

It's nice to see the UN using words like "biodiversity." Now if they could just graduate to using the word "agroecological" I'd be really happy!