CBN-V Video Archives - S1-23
Issues in Biotechnology-assisted Participatory Plant Breeding

Thro¹ A.M., C. Spillane², C. Gines² and Sperling³ L.

1. USDA, Water front Canter, RM 3443, 800 9th Street, Washington DC, 20250-2220 athro@reeusda.gov
2. Cassava Biotechnology Network, CIAT, Av. Eloy Alfaro y Amazonas, Edificio MAG, Quito, Ecuador C.GINES@CGIAR.ORG

        Can biotechnology offer benefits to small-scale, resource-poor farmers in developing countries? How can farmers participate in creating and shaping those benefits? To answer these questions, there is need for broader dialogue between modern biotechnology and farmer participatory research. Technical achievements using biotechnology tools such as molecular markers, and biotech products such as transgenic varieties, offer new solutions to certain expressed needs of smallholder farmers such as reducing labor in farming, increasing and stabilizing yields, and adding value to harvests. Novel resources to support farmers who do field-level crossing and selection can also be created using biotechnology. Small-scale farmers' access to useful biotechnological innovations may be improved through biotechnology-assisted participatory plant breeding. This paper will consider the many issues -- technical, institutional, regulatory, and philosophical -- that arise in defining a participatory project in this area. Ultimately, the value of biotechnology-assisted participatory research will depend on whether it advances participants closer to their goals. Many disagreements ostensibly about technologies may be rooted in differences about participants' goals for the future. Consequently, consensus-building and a shared vision of the future are important in preparing for biotechnology-assisted participatory research. It is critical that participants articulate their aspirations and examine the implications of various research and development strategies in that light.

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