Parallel Sessions - Summary Reports and Presentations

During the conference in Guadalajara, a total of 27 parallel sessions were held over the first three days, the majority of which were organized by different inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. Each session lasted one hour and 45 minutes, except three 'double sessions' which lasted 3 and a half hours. The organisers were asked to produce a short report from the session (maximum 300 words; for the three double sessions, maximum 400 words), which was presented to the Plenary Session on the following morning.

This webpage provides the summary reports, as well as presentations, from the different parallel sessions.

There were four kinds of parallel sessions:

A. Sector-specific case studies of successful applications of biotechnologies in developing countries

Organized by FAO. As part of the ‘learning from the past’ exercise in ABDC-10, these five sector-specific parallel sessions included the presentation of a small number of case studies of successful application of biotechnologies in developing countries, followed by a facilitated discussion. They provided an opportunity to evaluate the key factors responsible for the successful application of biotechnologies in developing countries and assist developing countries to learn from the past and empower them to implement appropriate biotechnologies more successfully in the future. Some of the case studies presented were described in the Case Studies section of the sector-specific FAO documents prepared for ABDC-10. The proposed structure of each session was as follows: Introduction by the Facilitator, max 5 mins; Case studies of successful use of biotechnologies in the sector, 10 mins each; and Open discussion, with a facilitator – 70-80 mins.

B. Sector-specific background documents

Organized by FAO. Before the conference, FAO published five sector-specific documents, covering the current status and options for biotechnologies in developing countries in crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture and, finally, in food processing and food safety. Each of the sector-specific documents, numbered ABDC-10/3.1 to ABDC-10/7.1 (with a synthesis in documents ABDC-10/3.2 to ABDC-10/7.2 respectively), was organized in two parts, the first focusing on learning from the past and the second on preparing for the future. These five parallel sessions were dedicated to the presentation and discussion of these documents. The proposed structure for each session was as follows: Presentation of the document, 15 mins; ‘Reflections on the document’ by discussants, 10 mins each; and Open discussion, with a facilitator – 70 mins.

C. Cross-sectoral issues

For these twelve parallel sessions, FAO invited relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations to organise parallel sessions on a specified issue of cross-sectoral importance. For each one, the programme for the session was developed by the organizers, with guidance from FAO. The structure that FAO suggested for each session to the organizers was one with 2-3 speakers/panellists, each of whom would speak for 15 minutes (providing a brief background on the topic and setting the scene) followed by an open discussion moderated by a facilitator.

D. Region-specific

For these five parallel sessions, FAO invited relevant regional organizations to organize parallel sessions for their region. The scope of each regional session was to address the potential role of biotechnologies for agricultural development in the region and to cover the entire range of biotechnologies across all the food and agricultural sectors. In addition, FAO suggested that it would be important to address both cross-sectoral and sector-specific themes and that, in this context, the SWOT analysis method would be utilized to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) related to the generation, adaptation and adoption of appropriate biotechnologies in the region. The structure that FAO suggested for each session to the organizers was one with 1-2 speakers/panellists, each of whom would speak for 10 minutes (providing a brief background on the topic and setting the scene) followed by an open discussion moderated by a facilitator.

A. Sessions about sector-specific case studies of successful applications of biotechnologies in developing countries

The five sessions were organized by FAO

A.1 Crop Sector - Summary Report

A.1.1 An improved common bean inoculant for a sustainable agriculture (777 KB)
By Humberto Peralta (presenter) and Jaime Mora
Center for Genomic Sciences, National University of México

A.1.2 Using science to fight hunger, disease and poverty in Africa: The case of NERICA (2.5 MB)
By Sidi Sanyang, West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), Dakar, Senegal
(see also Case Study 4.i in document ABDC-10/3.1)

A.2 Livestock Sector - Summary Report

A.2.1 Sustainable intensification of sheep rearing on the Deccan plateau in India: The FecB mutation (726 KB)
By Chanda Nimbkar, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan, India
(see also Case Study 6.1 in document ABDC-10/5.1)

A.2.2 Community-based artificial insemination, veterinary and milk marketing services in Bangladesh (48 KB)
By Mohammed Shamsuddin, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh (presented on his behalf by Paul Boettcher, FAO Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy)
(see also Case Study 6.4 in document ABDC-10/5.1)

A.3 Forestry Sector  - Summary Report

A.3.1 Tissue culture production of clonal teak for large-scaled plantation establishments (4 MB)
By Doreen Goh, Sabah Foundation Group, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
(see also Case Study 5.2 in document ABDC-10/4.1)

A.3.2 Applications for microsatellite markers in the management and conservation of forest trees: Illustration with Baillonella toxisperma and Milicia excelsa (2.6 MB)
By Ndiade Bourobou D. (presenter), Moussavou H., Nzengue E., Favreau B., Mignot A. and Bouvet J.M.
CENAREST, IRAF- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie végétale/Gabon - CIRAD UPR 39, Bios Baillarguet/Montpellier

A.4 Fisheries Sector -  Summary Report

A.4.1 PCR application for aquatic animal health management in Asia (748 KB)
By Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan, Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Bangkok, Thailand (presented on his behalf by John Benzie, University College Cork, Ireland) 
(see Case Study 4.1 in document ABDC-10/6.1)

A.4.2 Application of innovative biotechnologies regarding aquaculture and fisheries sector in Malaysia: Cryopreservation programme (1.35 MB)
By Poh Chiang Chew (presenter), Zulkafli Abd. Rashid and Rosly Hassan.
Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre, Glami Lemi, Malaysia.

A.4.3 Development of the genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT)  (353 KB)
By Ravelina Recometa-Velasco, Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz, the Philippines and R.W. Ponzoni, Fish Breeding and Genetics Group, The WorldFish Center, Penang, Malaysia (presented on their behalf by Matthias Halwart, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Division, Rome, Italy) 

A.5 Agro-industry Sector - Summary Report

A.5.1 Pozol - a Mexican fermented maize dough (859 KB)
By Carmen Wacher, Food and Biotechnology Department, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

A.5.2 Soy sauce production: From a craft- to a science-based system (460 KB)
By Ruud Valyasevi, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec), Thailand and Rosa Rolle (presenter), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
(see Case Study 4.1 in document ABDC-10/7.1)

A.5.3 Fermentative processes using endogenous microorganisms in the Dominican Republic (708 KB)
By Bernarda Castillo, Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry (IIBI), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

B. Sessions about sector-specific background documents

The five sessions were organized by FAO

B.1 Crop Sector - Summary Report

B.1.1 Current status and options for crop biotechnologies in developing countries (50 KB) 
By Andrea Sonnino, Secretary, FAO Working Group on Biotechnology, Rome, Italy

B.2 Livestock Sector - Summary Report

B.2.1 Current status and options for livestock biotechnologies in developing countries (68 KB) 
By Paul Boettcher, FAO Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy 

Presentation by discussants (optional): 
B.2.2 Arthur da Silva Mariante, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, Brazil (67 KB)
B.2.3 Adama Traore, Comité National de la Recherche Agricole, Bamako, Mali (246 KB)

B.3 Forestry Sector - Summary Report

B.3.1 Current status and options for forest biotechnologies in developing countries (102 KB)   
By Oudara Souvannavong, FAO Forest Conservation Service, Rome, Italy

Presentation by discussants (optional): 
B.3.2 Milton Kanashiro, Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, Brazil (1.2 MB)

B.4 Fisheries Sector - Summary Report

B.4.1 Current status and options for biotechnologies in fisheries and aquaculture in developing countries (1 MB) 
By Matthias Halwart, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Division, Rome, Italy 

Presentations by discussants (optional):
B.4.2 Mohammad Pourkazemi, International Sturgeon Research Institute, Rasht, Iran (1.1 MB)
B.4.3 María Cristina Chávez Sánchez, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, México (124 KB)

B.5 Agro-industry Sector - Summary Report

B.5.1 Current status and options for biotechnologies in food processing and in food safety in developing countries (595 KB) 
By Rosa Rolle, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand

C. Sessions about cross-sectoral issues

C.1 Development of genomic resources: Current status and future prospects - Summary Report

Organized by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) 

Presentations:
C.1.1. Introduction to the Session (306 KB)
By the Facilitator: Rajeev K Varshney, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India and CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme 

C.1.2 Current status and future prospects of genomic resources in legumes (791 KB)
By Rajeev K Varshney

C.1.3 Genomic resources and gene/QTL discovery in cereals (1.4 MB)
By Roberto Tuberosa, Department of Agroenvironmental Sciences and Technology, University of Bologna, Italy

C.1.4 Fruit and nut trees genomics and quantitative genetics (529 KB)
By Jasper G Rees, Department of Biotechnology, University of Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa

C.1.5 Genomic resources and gene/QTL discovery in livestock (923 KB)
By Jeremy Taylor, Animal Sciences Center, University of Missouri, United States

C.2 Genomic application: Molecular breeding in developing countries -   Summary Report

Organized by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Presentations:
C.2.1 Providing tools for molecular breeding and research (431 KB)
By Dave Hoisington (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT), Jean-Marcel Ribaut (Generation Challenge Program, GCP), Segenet Kelemu (Biosciences eastern and central Africa, BecA)

C.2.2 Molecular breeding: Challenges and perspectives (579 KB)
By Roberto Tuberosa, Department of Agroenvironmental Sciences and Technology, University of Bologna, Italy

C.2.3 Impacts of molecular breeding (709 KB)
By M. Carmen de Vicente, Generation Challenge Program, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico

C.3 Conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture - Summary Report

Organized by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Presentations:
C.3.1 Enhancing access to the global public goods held by CGIAR centers’ genebanks (778 KB)
By Thomas Payne, Wellhausen Anderson Genetic Resource Center, CIMMYT, Mexico

C.3.2 Biotechnologies for the conservation and sustainable use of animal genetic resources (1.4 MB)
By Arthur da Silva Mariante, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, Brazil

C.3.3 Conservation and sustainability use of genetic resources for food and agriculture (568 KB)
By Jean-Marcel Ribaut (Generation Challenge Program [GCP], Mexico) and Jean-Christophe Glaszmann (Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement [CIRAD], France and GCP, Mexico)

C.3.4 Biotechnology for conservation and use of clonally propagated genetic resources (439 KB)
By William Roca, Coordinator LAC-Biosafety Project, Lima, Peru

C.4 Enhancing human capacities: Training and education - Summary Report

Organized by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) 

Presentations:
C.4.1 Introduction to the Session (276 KB)
By the Facilitator: Roger Beachy, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture (276 KB)

C.4.2 Training and education in biotechnology and biosafety (319 KB)
By Godelieve Gheysen, Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

C.4.3 Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries: Capacity building (1.9 MB)
By Sudhir Sopory, ICGEB, New Delhi, India

C.4.4 Teaching agricultural biotechnology and biosafety: Some lessons from Zimbabwe and the Program for Biosafety Systems (1.1 MB)
Idah Sithole-Niang, Department of Biochemistry, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe 

C.4.5 Jorge Allende, Research and Development, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile (269 KB)

C.4.6 Decio Ripandelli, ICGEB, Trieste, Italy (278 KB)

C.5. Ensuring equitable access to technology, including gender issues - Summary Report

Organized by Oxfam International

Presentations:
C.5.1 GM cotton in Colombia: Success and challenges (376 KB)
By Luz Amparo Fonseca (presenter), Confederación Colombiana del Algodón (CONALGODON), Bogota, Colombia and Patricia Zambrano, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, United States

C.5.2 Results of IFPRI-CONALGODON cotton projects in Colombia (89 KB)
By Patricia Zambrano, IFPRI, Washington, United States

C.5.3 Enabling equitable access: Farmers' rights - local and global (418 KB)
By Andew Mushita, Community Technology Development Trust (CTDT), Harare, Zimbabwe

C.5.4 Ensuring equitable access to technology: Mainstreaming participatory plant breeding in Asia (1.3 MB)

C.6. Empowering public participation in informed decision-making - Summary Report

Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commission on Education and Communication

Presentations:
C.6.1 Introduction to the Session (390 KB)
By the Facilitator: Keith Wheeler, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication, Pennsylvania, United States

C.6.2 The world is a park and everyone is a gardener - the use of social media in this new era (805 KB)
By John Francis, National Geographic Society, Washington, United States

C.6.3 Roles and needs of stakeholders, the different modalities of public participation: from multi-stakeholder dialogues to social networks (98 KB)
By Sarah Stokes Alexander, Sustainability and Leadership Programs, The Keystone Center, Keystone, United States

C.6.4 Informed or responsible decision making, knowing the difference between facts and fiction: User demand and role-based tools in the sustainable food security continuum (426 KB)
By Joseph M. Russo, ZedX Inc., Bellefonte, United States

C.6.5 Inviting the scientific community into agricultural decision making without a prior tradition to do so: How to engage scientists and farmers in Mexico? (1.3 MB)
By Marcos Algara-Siller, National System for Epidemologic Phitosanitary Surveillance (SINAVEF), Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Mexico

C.7. Prioritising the role of the farmer - Summary Report

Organized by FAO, with support from the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)  

Presentations:
C.7.1 Prioritizing the role of fishers in R&D (66 KB)
By Herman Kumera, General Secretary of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), Negombo, Sri Lanka

C.7.2 The role of farmers in the development of climate resilient technologies for food sovereignty (3.6 MB)
By Miguel Altieri, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, United States

C.7.3 Living green lives thru the Bohol GREENLIFE Program (1.7 MB)
Isidoro Angcog, Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), The Philippines

C.8. Public-private partnerships - Summary Report

Organized by FAO, with support from the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) 

Presentations:
C.8.1 Development of transgenic technologies: Generation of the first commercial transgenic varieties in Brazil (1.2 MB)
By Francisco Aragão, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, Brazil.

C.8.2 Jacob D.H. Mignouna, Technical Operations, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Nairobi, Kenya.

C.8.3 The increasing roles of PPPs in developing countries (658 KB)
Denis Murphy, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Glamorgan, United Kingdom

C.9 Policy coherence and the status of biotechnology policy-making, regulations and development. The experience of COMESA, ASEAN and CARICOM regions - Summary Report

Organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)  

Presentations:
C.9.1 Biotechnology policy-making, regulations and development in the ASEAN region (302 KB)
By Banpot Napompeth, National Biological Control Research Center, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand

C.9.2 Perspectives: CARICOM biotechnology policy, regulations & development (152 KB) 
Wendy Hollingsworth, Policy NetWorks International Inc, St. Lucy, Barbados

C.9.3 Policy coherence and the status of biotechnology policy-making, regulations and development: The experience of COMESA under RABESA Project (230 KB)
By Charles Mugoya and Michael Waithaka, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), Entebbe, Uganda (presented on their behalf by Walter S. Alhassan, African Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy Platform, FARA, Accra, Ghana)

C.10 Biosafety in the broader context of biosecurity - Summary Report

Organized by the FAO Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division

Presentations:
C.10.1 Biosafety in the broader context of biosecurity: Principles and concepts of biosecurity (37 KB)
By Ruth Frampton, independent consultant, Christchurch, New Zealand  

C.10.2 Risk/safety assessment of modern biotechnology products: OECD’s harmonized approach and tools for biosafety (474 KB)
By Bertrand Dagallier, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), France and Sol Ortiz-Garcia, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Colonia del Valle, Mexico

C.10.3 Adopting the FAO biosecurity approach for biotechnology (372 KB)
By Sridhar Dharmapuri, FAO Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division, Rome, Italy

C.11 Intellectual property rights in agricultural biotechnology - Summary Report

Organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Presentations:
C.11.1 Intellectual property rights, biotechnology and genetic resources (96 KB)
By Jorge Cabrera Medaglia, National Biodiversity Institute (INBio), San José, Costa Rica

C.11.2 Necessity and challenges of the use/management of IP in Cuba: What strategies have been developed? (592 KB)
By Raimundo Ubieta Gomez, Intellectual Property Department, Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba

C.11.3 Management of IPRs in international organizations: The case of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) (320 KB)
Decio Ripandelli, Administration and External Relations, ICGEB, Trieste, Italy

C.12 Utilisation of plants for non-food uses: Challenges and perspectives - Summary Report

Organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Presentations:
C.12.1 Non food/feed uses of GM plants (366 KB)
By Luis Herrera Estrella, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINESTAV), Irapuato, Mexico

C.12.2 Biodiversity-related bioenterprise development in Brazil (555 KB)
By Antonio Paes de Carvalho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Extracta Moleculas Naturais S/A, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

C.12.3 Perspectives on non-food applications of biotechnologies (208 KB)
By Ivan Ingelbrecht, Institute of Plant Biotechnology for Developing Countries, Ghent University, Belgium

C.12.4 Marine microalgae for meeting global needs for feed & energy (854 KB)
By Jonathan Gressel, Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

D. Sessions about different regions

D.1 Latin America and the Caribbean

Organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the International REDBIO Foundation and the Technical Cooperation Network on Plant Biotechnology in Latin America and the Caribbean (REDBIO). 

Read the Summary Report (or watch the Video containing presentation of the Summary Report by Bryan Munoz to the plenary session on 4 March).

Presentations:
D.1.1 Generation, adaptation and adoption of appropriate biotechnologies in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region: Concrete actions for the near future (815 KB)
By Rodomiro Ortiz, international consultant, Lima, Perú

D.1.2 Biosafety regulations and perspectives at the Latin America and the Caribbean Region: Status, needs and actions (157 KB)
By Moisés Burachik, Biotechnology Directorate, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Buenos Aires, Argentina

D.1.3 Animal genetic resources in Latin America and the Caribbean: Utilization of biotechnologies (198 KB)
By Arthur da Silva Mariante, EMBRAPA Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasilia, Brazil

D.2 West Asia and North Africa

Organized by the Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA).

Read the Summary Report (or watch the Video containing presentation of the Summary Report by Osama Momtaz to the plenary session on 4 March).

Presentation:
D.2.1 West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region "Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in the field of modern agricultural biotechnology in WANA: to face the challenges of food insecurity and climate change" (671 KB)
By Osama Momtaz (Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt), Ahmed Abdul Kader (Department of Biotechnology, General Commission for Agricultural Scientific Research, Damascus, Syria), Michael Baum (Biodiversity and Integrated Gene Management Program, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Aleppo, Syria) and Ibrahim Hamdan (AARINENA) in collaboration with Alex Percy-Smith (Faculty of Agricultural Sciences,University of Aarhus, Denmark)

D.3 Sub-Saharan Africa

Organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

Read the Summary Report (or watch the Video containing presentation of the Summary Report by Jacob D.H. Mignouna to the plenary session on 4 March).

Presentations:
D.3.1 Challenges for biotechnology adoption in sub-Saharan Africa in an era of climate change (630 KB)
By Jane Morris, African Center for Gene Technologies, Pretoria, South Africa

D.3.2 Scope of animal biotechnology application and challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa (887 KB)
By Adama Traore, Comité National de la Recherche Agricole, Bamako, Mali

D.4 Asia and the Pacific

Organized by the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)

Read the Summary Report (or watch the Video containing presentation of the Summary Report by Tashi Samdup to the plenary session on 4 March).

Presentations:
D.4.1 Crop biotechnology (86 KB)
By Jawahir Karihaloo, Asia-Pacific Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology, APAARI, New Delhi, India

D.4.2 Biotechnologies in livestock, poultry, fisheries & aquaculture (in the Asia/Pacific Region) (123 KB)
By Oswin Perera, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Chanda Nimbkar (presenter), Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, India.

D.5 Europe and Central Asia - Summary Report

Organized by the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Budapest, Hungary