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Thus, in contrast to the trends occurring in the U.S. and other developed countries, relatively few researchers in developing countries understand IPR and biosafety and their relationship to biotechnology, and they may also lack experience in dealing with the private sector.

Developing countries are realizing the positive impact of biotechnology will depend to a large extent on the ability of developing countries to access and/or generate technology suitable to their needs.

The first question for ABSPII was how to promote the access of developing countries to new biotechnologies that were appropriate to address local and regional agricultural constraints, but which were found in the private sector (or held as proprietary information by the public sector) in developed countries. The second question was how to ensure that biotechnology was not only an academic research pursuit but that it could be applied in the field in a manner consistent with ABSPII goals of sustainability. This raised the importance of biosafety and risk assessment issues, and the development of local regulatory systems along with the capacity to ensure the safety of biotechnology to both human health and the environment.

 

Goal

The goal is to help boost food security, economic growth, nutrition and environmental quality in India and Bangladesh. The consortium will support the development of expertise in India and Bangladesh in the areas of research, policy development, licensing, and outreach, to help reduce poverty and hunger through Agricultural Biotechnology.

 

Scope and Activities

To implement ABSPII we

  • Conduct highly-participatory priority setting activities to ensure that product development is focused on real needs

  • Develop ‘product commercialization packages’ for each bio-engineered crop by geographical site, integrating activities on technology development, policy (including intellectual property), outreach and communication, and marketing and distribution

  • Create an enabling environment for regulatory and legal authorities

  • Foster public-private partnerships to boost mutual incentives and self-sustained, long-term investments

  • Promote improved science-based public awareness of bio-engineered crops

  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of ABSPII activities.

 

During the project, we expect

  • Increased agricultural productivity in farmers fields

  • Improved research and development capacities within collaborating institutions