Goals
Elicit and document stakeholder (producers, consumers, input
suppliers, rural communities, and others) expectations and concerns
with respect to biotechnology research on tobacco and rice.
Develop and apply a framework to assess the positive and negative
economic and social impacts of agricultural biotechnologies on
tobacco and rice, including their distribution among different
interest groups both in the United States and abroad.
Develop and test educational materials to extend information on the
benefits, costs, and concerns associated with biotechnologies to
students (primary, secondary, and college) and the public at large,
while at the same time creating a mechanism for continual feedback
to scientists and public activists.
Objectives
The goal of this project is to provide policy makers and the
general public with information on the benefits, costs, risks, and
tradeoffs associated with the use of products arising from
biotechnology research.
The project aims to:
· Identify the issues and concerns held by various stakeholders
regarding agricultural biotechnology.
· Document the potential benefits, costs, and risks of these new
technologies.
· Increase public understanding of biotech benefits, costs, risks,
and tradeoffs.
Main outcomes
The project will contribute to better-informed public opinion and
more informed public policies and regulations governing
biotechnologies in the United States and Asia, thus shaping
regulatory oversight for agricultural biotechnologies by
investigating and clarifying the benefits, costs, risks, and
tradeoffs associated with transgenic tobacco and rice products for
various stakeholders.
Ultimately, the project is expected to lead to more informed
decisions by public and private decision-makers with respect to
appropriate biosafety rules and the role of agricultural
biotechnology in general. It will lead to greater clarity on the
appropriate roles of the public versus the private sector in
biotechnology research and development. Most importantly, it will
help the public to better understand the benefits and risks
associated with agricultural biotechnologies and allow policymakers
to make improved resource allocation decisions.
So far, the following specific results have been achieved:
· Participatory appraisals and focus group meetings were completed
in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to elicit stakeholder
views or concerns about the potential benefits and costs of
pharmaceutical products from tobacco, and in Arkansas, California,
Louisiana, the Philippines; and Bangladesh to obtain views about
benefits and costs of GMO rice.
· A telephone survey of the general public in the United States was
completed to assess the depth of concerns over potential health,
environmental, and moral/ethical issues with respect to GMO rice
and tobacco, and the willingness to support GMOs under varying
levels of benefits. A total of 684 completed surveys were obtained
for rice and 672 for tobacco.
· A reference database of relevant agricultural biotechnology
literature has been constructed and is being updated continually
· Outreach activities have been undertaken with other biotech
projects.
Publications:
Mamaril, Cezar Brian, 2002, Transgenic Pest Resistant Rice: An Ex
Ante Economic Evaluation of an Adoption Impact Pathway in the
Philippines and Vietnam for Bt Rice, M.S. thesis, Virginia Tech
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