Opportunities for and Challenges to Plant Biotechnology Adoption in Developing Countries

The theme of this conference, Biotechnology: Science and Society at a Crossroad, is particularly relevant to developing countries, where decisions concerning the use of agricultural technologies profoundly affect large numbers of people. Currently, 80% of the world’s population lives in developing countries. By 2050, the United Nations estimates that the global population will increase by roughly 3 billion. This population increase will occur primarily in developing countries, with 90% of the total then living in areas now classified as less developed (United Nations, 2002). Over the past 50 years, there have been substantial increases in food production and reduction in poverty in the developing world. Despite these favorable trends, the biggest health problem in developing countries remains malnourishment. About 800 million people still consume less than 2,000 calories a day, and are chronically undernourished (FAO, 2002a). A recent analysis indicates that 127 million pre-school children suffer from vitamin-A deficiency, which can cause blindness and early death (West, 2002). Iron deficiency is common, with about 400 million women of childbearing age afflicted by anemia. As a result, they give birth to underweight children and are more likely to die in childbirth. Roughly 24,000 people die each day from hunger and hunger-related causes, three-quarters of them children. Opportunities for and Challenges to Plant Biotechnology Adoption in Developing Countries