Developing Countries Look for Guidance in GM Crops Debate

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Washington ested parties to help develop its approach to Developing countries have called on the transgenic crops. “Everyone is waiting for Consultative Group on International Agri- them, because they are such a big actor,” says cultural Research (CGIAR) — an influential Calestous Juma, a professor at Harvard Uni- federation of agricultural research centres — versity and a special adviser to the group.

to develop guidelines for the research, trial “They can’t sit on the fence anymore, BOLANOS AP/CARMELO and commercialization of genetically modi- because everyone is hacking away at the fied (GM) crops. fence.” But the “conflicting interests” of At a meeting in Washington last week, CGIAR’s donors, who include the major hosted by CGIAR and the US National Acad- industrialized countries, make it hard to emy of Sciences, agricultural researchers and determine a policy on GM crops, says Juma. research administrators appealed to CGIAR Older biotechnology tools, such as genet- to provide guidance to help poorer countries ic markers in plant breeding, are firmly address the global debate over the applica- established in the centres. But less than ten tion of agricultural biotechnology. Pressure point: protestors in Colombia lobby per cent of their work currently involves With consumers’ groups, largely from talks on regulating GM trade earlier this year. transgenics, say officials. Europe, and purveyors of transgenic crops, Many of the research centres are deter- mainly in the United States, battling to deter- the ‘Terminator’ gene technology, which mining whether and how to take their first mine the global acceptability of the new tech- Monsanto has since abandoned. transgenic crops into field trials. As the Wash- nology, many speakers warned that the inter- CGIAR held the meeting of several hun- ington meeting took place, for example, rice

ests of poor nations are being brushed aside. dred of its centres’ officials and other inter- farmers were invited to the International ▼ Even the most powerful developing countries are seeking help from CGIAR, a network of 16 major agricultural centres sponsored by the World Bank, the Food and ... as Rockefeller head warns of backlash Agriculture Organization and the United Nations, which spent $340 million last year San Francisco species and the creation of new African governments develop their on agricultural research. Public opposition to agricultural viruses — that should be positions on genetic engineering Manju Sharma, secretary for biotech- biotechnology in the industrial examined more closely. But he and biodiversity. nology at India’s Ministry of Science and world could rob developing also emphasizes the potential Conway says the Technology, called on CGIAR to publish countries of the fruits of genetic benefits. biotechnology industry has shown guidelines on scientific research, field trials research that are vital to their In an effort to address these a new willingness to respond to and commercialization to help governments survival, according to Gordon issues, the Rockefeller is argument. Monsanto, for example, set policies on agricultural biotechnology. Conway, the president of the committing more than $1 million a recently promised not to develop Speakers at the meeting also said that Rockefeller Foundation. year to fund projects that foster the ‘Terminator’ technology that developing countries will depend on CGIAR Conway, who came to the constructive dialogue. In would make its seeds sterile and to help counter the influence of the private foundation 18 months ago from a particular, the New York-based force farmers to buy new ones corporations that control patents and infor- position as vice-chancellor of the foundation aims to help every year. mation on transgenic crops. University of Sussex in Brighton, developing countries become In early October, Monsanto’s Villoo Morawala-Patell, a professor at the England, is a renowned better informed and take a chief executive Robert Shapiro University of Agricultural Sciences, Banga- agricultural ecologist. He urges stronger role in policy discussions, acknowledged the need to find lore, India, said that public resistance is “not biotech multinationals to do more so they can decide for themselves common ground with so much to GM food as to big industry”. She to address the ethical, economic, what level of risk is appropriate biotechnology’s opponents. He called on CGIAR to “set up a parallel and environmental and safety issues without becoming guinea-pigs for told the Greenpeace Business alternative technology base” to that estab- posed by crop manipulation, wealthier nations. Conference in London that, until lished by the corporations “in which the before a hostile public shuts down For example, the foundation now, Monsanto had “irritated and status of the farmer is protected”. their operations. recently gave $260,000 to the antagonized more people than we CGIAR demonstrated its influence on the He argues that the genetic African Centre for Technology have persuaded”. global GM food debate earlier this year, when engineering of food poses risks — Studies in Nairobi for a two-year Du Pont, based in Wilmington,

it called on developing countries to boycott such as outcrossing into wild project intended to help six Delaware, plans to form an ▼

▼ Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) at ing, put it: “This whole debate isn’t really Cali, Colombia, to discuss trials of the cen- about safety. Safety is the card which is Japanese companies tre’s first transgenic rice plant, resistant to played to get the deeper political and eco- the hoja blanca virus that damages rice crops nomic issues on to the table.” join international in Latin America. These issues include the fact that none of Such trials are strongly supported by the first-generation transgenic crops are of fight against malaria researchers and research administrators much use to farmers in poor countries — across the CGIAR network. But private cor- rather, they will extend the productivity Tokyo porations have found them difficult to put advantages enjoyed by heavily subsidized Twelve Japanese pharmaceutical compa- into practice. In Brazil an injunction by farmers in industrialized countries. nies announced this week that they are Greenpeace has stalled Monsanto’s plans to Another issue is the lack of technical joining with the World Health Organiza- test five breeds of soybean, and in Mexico knowledge in poor countries. But the most tion (WHO) and Japan’s Ministry of concern has focused on the effect of GM pressing concern is the imbalance of negoti- Health and Welfare to launch an initiative maize on wild strains of the plant. ating strength between the corporations that to identify potential drugs against malaria. The extent to which the publicly funded pioneered transgenic crops and farmers, sci- JPMW — which stands for Japanese CGIAR network should support either field entists and governments in poor countries. Pharma, Ministry of Health and Welfare trials or the commercialization of GM crops The developing world “must rely on the and WHO — will become part of ‘Roll was fiercely debated. Brian Johnson of Eng- international organizations” to protect its Back Malaria’, a programme launched last lish Nature called for a moratorium on com- rights, says Behzad Ghareyazie, director of year by WHO to create a global strategy mercialization, and Fred Gould, an ecologist the Agricultural Biotechnology Research for controlling malaria. at North Carolina State University, warned Institute of Iran. But some speakers doubted JPMW’s activities, to be jointly funded that developing countries are ill-equipped to whether even CGIAR has much negotiating by WHO and Japan’s health ministry, will cope with unforeseen environmental prob- power compared with the corporations. complement other initiatives in the Roll lems that may arise from the crops. Richard Jefferson, director of the Centre Back Malaria programme. Among these is But supporters of transgenic technology, for the Application of Molecular Biology in the New Medicines for Malaria Venture, a such as Klaus Leisinger of Novartis, accused International Agriculture in Australia, called public/private sector project supported by detractors of delaying nutritional improve- on CGIAR to give its researchers “freedom to funding agencies and drugs companies ments that could save thousands of lives. operate” in the face of ever-tightening including Glaxo Wellcome and Hoffman- Leisenger attacked what he termed “bio- restraints on their work. La Roche (see Nature 395, 417; 1998). McCarthyism”. But Mark Sagoff, an ethicist Ismail Serageldin, chairman of CGIAR, Also active in this field is Multilateral at the University of Maryland, accused was absent — he was in Paris, seeking to Initiatives on Malaria, a consortium that Leisinger of “fundamentalism” and argued become head of the United Nations Educa- includes the US National Institutes of that poverty is the real cause of malnutrition. tion, Scientific and Cultural Organization Health, the Wellcome Trust, the World There was agreement with Sagoff’s point (see page 833). Alex McCalla, director of rural Bank and other UN agencies, which aims that the ‘safety’ of GM crops is not the prima- development at the World Bank, summed up to develop malaria research in Africa. ry issue. As James Cook, a plant pathologist on his behalf, saying: “We’ve heard nothing The recent increase in collaborative at Washington State University who repre- that shakes my conviction that biotechnology ventures is a response to the fact that sented the US National Academy at the meet- has tremendous potential.” Colin Macilwain malaria parasites are becoming increasingly resistant to existing antimalarials, while the pharmaceutical industry has

▼ advisory group to review its and on the other by increasing virtually abandoned research on tropical activities in agricultural wariness about getting involved diseases (see Nature 386, 540; 1997). biotechnology and to provide a because [biotechnology] is so The companies involved in JPMW — critique of the company’s unpopular,” said Gary Toenniessen, Takeda, Eisai, Yamanouchi, Chugai, performance. deputy director of agricultural Shionogi, Fujisawa, Sankyo, Daiichi, Sun- AP/EDWARD REEVES AP/EDWARD Conway praises these moves services for Rockefeller. tory, Yoshitomi, Dainippon and Sumi- as “a good first step”. But he Crop research that could help tomo Pharmaceuticals — will provide urges the companies to do more, poor countries is not being compounds from their chemical libraries for example by donating enabling pursued by companies, and some for antimalarial screening. technologies to developing of the aid donors are becoming The molecules will be screened by the countries, by accepting ‘plant increasingly squeamish about it, Kitasato Institute in Tokyo, which plans to variety’ protection instead of Conway: fears public hostility he says. carry out random testing of more than seeking patents, and by using part to GM will harm development. The Rockefeller Foundation 12,000 molecules over the next five years. of their profits to assist public- has spent more than $100 million Kitasato will also screen more than 2,000 sector research. developed and the developing on plant biotechnology research, molecules from its own libraries. Any Labelling should be world to pinpoint significant focusing on helping the poor. molecule showing activity in the screening considered a ‘freedom of issues and negotiate solutions. Scientists receiving its funds will be followed up by WHO’s Programme information’ issue, says Conway, Behind Conway’s suggestions recently announced that they had on Tropical Diseases Research. in that the public has a right to is a concern that public opposition used genetic modification to Win Gutteridge, the programme’s chief know what it is eating and to to private initiatives could make rice produce ȋ-carotene of product research and development, says choose whether to buy genetically undermine public programmes, (which is converted to vitamin A) that the tools are already available to engineered foods. Companies may such as those financed by the and iron, nutrients lacking in the reduce the burden of malaria mortality decide not to develop certain Rockefeller Foundation. diets of developing countries. and morbidity. But halving the figures technologies because of social “We are concerned that the After checks on its environmental within a decade, the declared aim of the concerns, he adds. He urges public sector science is being and human effects, the rice will Roll Back Malaria programme, “will only governments, corporations, constrained on the one end by be donated to developing be possible if new tools, including anti- activists and scientists from the limited access to the technologies, countries. Sally Lehrman malarials, are developed ”. Asako Saegusa