FAO collects, analyses, interprets and disseminates information relating to nutrition, food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The Organization serves as a clearing-house, providing farmers, scientists, government planners, traders and non-governmental organizations with the information they need to make rational decisions on planning, investment, marketing, research and training.
Regarding biotechnology, FAO has been at the forefront in recent years in providing high-quality, updated, balanced science-based information to its Member countries and in providing a neutral platform for them to exchange information on this important subject. In providing this information, FAO has focused on the web, as this new information technology has made it increasingly possible for people worldwide to access the information provided. However, it has, in parallel, also provided information by e-mail (e.g. the FAO-BiotechNews newsletter and e-mail conferences of the FAO Biotechnology Forum and through hard-copy publications, as many parties in developing countries still have limited access to the web.
One of the main elements assisting FAO to fulfill its role in providing information in this area is its FAO Biotechnology website. Launched in English in 2000 and extended to Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish in 2001, the website has been systematically updated and widened in coverage over the years, to provide a wide range of information on FAO's work and international developments regarding biotechnology techniques and products, as well as on related policy and regulatory issues surrounding research and deployment of agricultural biotechnology.
In addition, in recent years, FAO has produced an increasing amount of high-quality written material (commissioned papers, presentations by FAO staff etc.) on agricultural biotechnology, regarding environmental, ethical, food safety, legal, policy, socio-economical or technical aspects and/or implications. FAO has actively sought to make this material freely accessible to its Member countries as quickly as possible by disseminating it through the FAO website, in particular through the FAO document repository, and by translating it into other languages whenever possible.
Page Last Updated: May 2007
