At the halfway point of this 2-month long conference, the aim of this Update is to briefly summarise, in a rough and approximate way, the progress of the conference so far. The conference is due to run until 12 August.
The conference was opened for messages on 12 June and the first messages were received on 20 June. Since then, 24 have been posted from 13 different people in 8 different countries. Roughly half have been from participants in developing countries. All messages have been placed on the Forum website (see http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/c3logs.htm )
Roughly 220 people have registered for the conference. Thanks to those that have already posted messages and we hope that you will continue to participate actively in the remaining month. For those that have not yet contributed to the conference, we encourage you strongly to express your views\experiences or to give any comments you might have of relevance to specific elements or to the general theme of this conference i.e. the appropriateness, significance and application of biotechnology options in the animal agriculture of developing countries. Any comments on elements covered in this Update are also welcome.
For those of you who joined the Forum and registered for this conference after 8 June (the date that the Background Document for the conference was sent to Forum members), remember that you can receive the Background Document by sending an e-mail message to mailserv@mailserv.fao.org leaving the subject blank and entering the following one-line text message: send listlog/biotech-l.jun2000
In the Background Document, the animal sector biotechnologies were
subdivided into 2 classes
a) reproductive biotechnologies (artificial
insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), cloning etc.) and
b) molecular
biotechnologies.
While there have been some good contributions concerning
reproductive biotechnologies, there have been no messages posted on DNA
technologies in animal health or in animal nutrition and growth, so we would
especially appreciate some first messages in these areas.
Many topics have been covered in the messages posted so far and we include here a rough summary of some of these topics.
* Why animal biotechnologies are not widely used in developing countries:
David Steane in his message of 20 June, was the first to consider this question. He suggested that the lack of a clear development policy, the poor information flow to decision-makers and the exaggerated claims of the benefits that biotechnologies could provide, all played a part. He then cited some practical factors explaining why AI and ET were not as widely used as they might be in developing countries (he returned to this same theme in a later message of 30 June). Adama Traore, 6 July, gave additional insights into the practical problems of applying reproductive biotechnologies in sub-Saharan Africa, while Caroline Wiwie, 11 July, indicated that they could be used successfully in Indonesia. Ahmed Tibary, 4 July, underlined that the use of new biotechnologies in developing countries often depends on short-lived "development projects" and that once the projects and its funds are finished the use ceases. Caroline Wiwie, 5 July, suggested that one way to change this was to operate such projects on a "step-by-step" plan, beginning with pilot projects in limited areas. Malumebet Worku, 29 June, emphasised that one of the main reasons for the low use of biotechnologies in developing countries was education and that there is a critical need for access to scientific education in developing countries.
* Genotype x environment (G x E) interactions and genetic selection of animals for use in typical farm conditions:
Pierre Cronje, 29 June, argued that there were problems associated with the application of biotechnologies in centralised breeding (testing) stations because the animals selected in these environments, due to superior management and nutrition as well as the emphasis on selection of single traits, might be inferior in the farmer's environment. Bill Muir, 1 July, emphasised that if such a G x E interaction existed, then the way to counteract it was to select under the farmer's conditions (i.e. not in the test station) or to downgrade the test station so that its management conditions were the same as on a typical farm. Hugh Blair, 3 July, developed this theme further.
Keith Woodford, 4 July, emphasised that the discussion on G x E interactions was fundamental and that geneticists and rural development practitioners often seemed to underestimate the importance of the environment. Pierre Cronje, 20 June, warned that the use of genetic material that was not adapted to developing countries could have large implications on the indigenous gene pool, as the genetic material would be hard to remove if later discovered to be inappropriate.
Pierre Cronje, 5 July, however, also argued that the existence of G x E interactions (and the subsequent need for testing of various genotypes in various environments) should not be used to delay the application of biotechnologies, given the increasing demand for food resulting from the rising human population. He also suggested that further advances in biotechnology might allow investigation of G x E interactions without needing to test all genotypes in all environments.
* Adult cloning:
Hugh Blair, 29 June, suggested that the spreading of superior genetic material from test stations to commercial farms in developing countries could be made more efficient (i.e. more rapid transfer of superior genes) using adult cloning. Pierre Cronje, 29 June, agreed.
* The need for careful planning before applying biotechnology:
Before new biotechnologies should be considered for application in developing countries, David Steane, 30 June, emphasised that planning is needed and that the extension services need to be properly informed. The planning should cover the choice of breeds to be involved and the breeding structure which would best achieve sustainable and efficient production. Mulumeber Worku, 1 July, supported this viewpoint. Bill Muir, 10 July, also emphasised that the cost-effectiveness of biotechnologies needs to be carefully considered before application, and that potential investments in biotechnology should be weighed up against alternative potential investments in extension services or in raising the management skills of farmers.
* Biosafety and transgenic animals:
David Steane, 20 June, expressed a concern that rigorous testing of potential adverse impacts of transgenic animals might be hampered by lack of funding and he emphasised that all tests should be carried out before release of the animals. Pierre Cronje, 20 June, suggested that this concern was valid not only for genetically modified animals, but also for the potential effects of other biotechnologies, such as AI and ET. Mary-Howell Martens, 3 July, stressed that transgenic animals should be evaluated under local nutritional and management conditions.
* Rural development:
Keith Woodford, 4 July, argued that the transition of developing countries from rural-based to urban-based societies will occur faster than it has done for developed countries and that the challenge is to figure out ways that developing country agriculture can be modernised without causing undue social dislocation. Kassim Omar Ali, 29 June, argued that only farmers close to urban areas, where the animal products produced can be sold at reasonable prices, have the ability to employ biotechnologies. The description of the use of AI in peri-urban areas of Mali by Adama Traore, 6 July, supported this point.
* Marker-assisted selection:
Davis Steane (20 June) and Bill Muir (10 July) suggested that the use of DNA technology for genetic improvement through marker-assisted selection should be treated cautiously at this stage.
Please feel free to participate and share your views and experiences on the theme of this conferences in the month that remains.
Sincerely,
Moderator, Conference 3
12 July 2000
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to biotech-room3@mailserv.fao.org For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]