Do We Need Genetically Modified Foods to Feed the World? A Scientific Perspective Peggy G. Lemaux, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Some Limitations on Biotechnology Applications in DEVELOPED Countries Intellectual property rights Regulatory costs Economic incentives Scientific hurdles Limited ability of public sector to participate effectively

Some Limitations on Biotechnology Applications in DEVELOPING Countries Legal issues Lack of funding for public sector to participate effectively Scientific and infrastructure insufficiencies Unique political and economic hurdles Societal inequalities

“Complex problems of hunger and agricultural development will not be solved by technological silver bullets” Peter Rosset, Food First

Agricultural biotechnology is more than just GMOs Marker-assisted breeding led to new millet hybrid with downy mildew resistance

Tissue Culture Used To Remove Diseases of Banana in Philippines Tissue cultured banana plantation in Philippines

PCR for pest disease detection for bananas and papaya

Productivity: Evidence for Bt Cotton Gains Bt cotton in: United States: yield effect 0 – 15% China: yield effect 10% South Africa: yield effect 20%-40% India: yield effect 60 – 80 % SOURCE: David Zilberman (UC Berkeley), Gregory Graff (UC Berkeley), Matin Qaim (University of Bonn) and Cherisa Yarkin (UC Berkeley) Won’t intellectual property issues interfere?

Insect Resistant Maize for Africa - IRMA Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture

GE crops will not address small farmers’ needs Only large agrochemical companies will benefit Farmers will be dependent; seed diversity will be lost Environmental risks - gene flow, insect resistance Insufficiency of biosafety regulations

Should African farmers and consumers make their own decisions on these issues?

How? Participatory Rural Appraisals Involving 900 Kenyan farmers from 43 villages

IRMA with Kenyan regulatory system did tests on corn for Bt-medicated stem borer resistance in laboratories and soon in biosafety greenhouses Patent issues do not preclude local use Bt maize can be commercialized locally Bt is dominant; seed can be recycled; moved into local varieties

NO MAGIC BULLET Bt maize

Is this the only way to address the problems? No, problems are different Different ecology Different health issues Different agronomic limitations

Sorghum – a staple food in parts of Africa USAID grant to address nutritional deficiencies Digestibility Amino acid imbalance Are there potential problems? Releasing GE varieties near wild relatives or weeds? Working with U.S. and African sorghum breeders Intellectual property rights?

Why did I become involved? Part of my mandate as public sector scientist and CE specialist Is this the only answer? Is this the best answer? No, but it is something I want to and can do!