I S A A A INTERNATIONAL SERVICE FOR THE ACQUISITION OF AGRI-BIOTECH APPLICATIONS ISAAA Briefs BRIEF 50 Voices and Views: Why Biotech? Edited by Mariechel J. Navarro Director, Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology No. 50 - 2015 BRIEF 50 Voices and Views: Why Biotech? Edited by Mariechel J. Navarro Director, Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology No. 50 - 2015 Published by: The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Copyright: ISAAA 2015. All rights reserved. Whereas ISAAA encourages the global sharing of information in Brief 50, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, by photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the copyright owners. Reproduction of this publication, or parts thereof, for educational and non-commercial purposes is encouraged with due acknowledgment, subsequent to permission being granted by ISAAA. Citation: Navarro, M.J. (Ed.) 2015. Voices and Views: Why Biotech? ISAAA Brief No. 50. ISAAA: Ithaca, NY. ISBN: 978-1-892456-60-5 Info on ISAAA: For information about ISAAA, please contact the Center nearest you: ISAAA AmeriCenter ISAAA AfriCenter ISAAA SEAsiaCenter 105 Leland Lab PO Box 70, ILRI Campus c/o IRRI Cornell University Old Naivasha Road DAPO Box 7777 Ithaca NY 14853, U.S.A. Uthiru, Nairobi 00605 Metro Manila Kenya Philippines Electronic copy: E-copy available at http://www.isaaa.org/ or email [email protected] for additional information about this Brief. Table of Contents Authors. .v Preface . .ix Technology for Humanity NINA V. FEDOROFF: Can We Feed 10 Billion People? Mariechel J. Navarro. .3 PER PINSTRUP-ANDERSEN: A Matter of Choice Mariechel J. Navarro. .7 ZERUBABEL MIJUMBI NYIIRA: Biotechnology is New Knowledge to Advance and not Retrogress Humanity Gilbert Gumisiriza . 10 GUO SANDUI: Biotechnology Promotes Human Progress and Development Tian Zhang . 14 CHARITY KAWIRA MUTEGI: Biotechnology, Not a Silver Bullet but a Key Tool for Attaining Food Security Margaret Karembu, Faith Nguthi, and Brigitte Bitta . 18 CLAUDE M. FAUQUET: Improved Cassava through Biotechnology Ian Mari E. Reano. 21 HALA EISSA: Arresting Wheat Problems through Biotechnology Naglaa Abdallah . 24 VIJAY ATMARAM INGLE: Cotton is My Partner and Thread of Life . 27 Translated by Dr. Charudatta Mayee KARIM TRAORE: GM Cotton is a Social Safety Net in Burkina Faso Margaret Karembu, Faith Nguthi, and Brigitte Bitta . 30 Harnessing Benefits and Potentials MORRIS OGENGA-LATIGO: Embrace Knowledge; Do not Stifle Progress Gilbert Gumisiriza . 37 INGO POTRYKUS: Use of Biotechnology is a Social Responsibility Rhodora R. Aldemita . 41 Voices and Views: Why Biotech? i GREGORY CONKO: Advocating for More Rational Biotech Regulation Mariechel J. Navarro. 45 PAMELA RONALD: Setting the Table for Tomorrow Kristine Grace N. Tome . 50 INEZ SLAMET-LOEDIN: From Fascination to Fulfillment Mariechel J. Navarro. 54 WAYNE PARROTT: There’s Always a Place for Biotechnology Kristine Grace N. Tome . 58 Championing the Cause ANWAR NASIM: A Non-Government Individual Leads Biotech Efforts M. Iqbal Choudhary, Saifullah Khan and Sammer Yousuf . 65 EMIL Q. JAVIER: Biotech Visionary Clement Dionglay . 69 MOHD NAZLEE KAMAL: Championing Biotech and Bioeconomy Initiatives in Malaysia Mahaletchumy Arujanan and Brian Chow . 73 BENIGNO D. PECZON: Biotechnology, a Tool to Help Humanity Rhodora R. Aldemita . 77 SUTAT SRIWATANAPONGSE: Giving a Helping Hand to Biotech in Thailand Supat Attathom and Mariechel J. Navarro . 81 EMILIANA N. BERNARDO: An Advocate of Environmental Stewardship Maria Monina Cecilia A. Villena . 85 AGUS PAKPAHAN: Strengthening Policies for Biotechnology in Indonesia Dewi Suryani Oktavia and Heryanto Lingga . 89 PORNSIL PATCHRINTANAKUL: Mixing Business and Science for National Development Supat Attathom and Mariechel J. Navarro . 93 Communicating the Science CHANNAPATNA PRAKASH: Galvanizing Worldwide Support for Agri-biotech Mariechel J. Navarro. 99 CHRIS KAKUNTA: Media will Make or Break the Use of Biotechnology in Africa Margaret Karembu, Faith Nguthi, and Brigitte Bitta . 103 JON ENTINE: Demystifying Genetics and Biotechnology Mariechel J. Navarro. 107 ii JIA HEPENG: Good Journalists Never Stop Revealing the Truth Tian Zhang . 110 BRUCE CHASSY: Getting the Message Out and Clear Mariechel J. Navarro. 114 NINA GLORIANI: Taking Scientific Arguments to Public Engagement Sophia Mercado . .118 MARK LYNAS: Uprooting the Weeds of Misinformation Mariechel J. Navarro. 122 Thinking Beyond Technology WINARNO TOHIR: Consider Ethics in Developing Transgenic Crop Dewi Suryani Oktavia and Heryanto Lingga. 129 The Voice of Islam for Biotechnology Shaikh Mohd Saifuddeen bin Shaikh Mohd Salleh and Mahaletchumy Arujanan . 132 Index . 137 Voices and Views: Why Biotech? iii iv Authors and Contributors Mariechel J. Navarro is Director of ISAAA’s Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology (KC). She has been with the KC since its inception in September 2000. Her internship at the CAB International in the United Kingdom on managing a biotechnology information system on the Internet led to the development of the weekly e-newsletter Crop Biotech Update. Her contributions to biotech communication include the following publications: Communicating Challenges and Convergence in Crop Biotechnology, From Monologue to Stakeholder Engagement: The Evolution of Biotech Communication, Communicating Crop Biotechnology: Stories from Stakeholders, and Bridging the Knowledge Divide: Experiences in Communicating Crop Biotechnology. She has a PhD in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and has had trainings in communication and biotech from the United Kingdom, USA, Austria, and Australia. Naglaa Abdallah is Acting Director of Egypt Biotechnology Information Center (EBIC) based at Cairo University in Giza, Egypt, where she is also a professor at the Department of Genetics. She obtained her PhD in Molecular Genetics from Cairo University in 1986 and has been teaching since 1979. Naglaa is also the editor-in-chief of GM Crops and Food, a Landes Bioscience journal based in Texas, USA. Rhodora R. Aldemita is Senior Program Officer of ISAAA, Southeast Asia Center and is currently a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of Applied Biotechnology Research of the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Office, and member of the Science and Technology Review Panel of the Bureau of Plant Industry Biotechnology Core Team. She holds a PhD in Botany from Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, USA and completed a Post-doctoral Fellowship at Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany on biochemistry and molecular biology studies of Golden Rice. Her bachelors degree in Agriculture and masters degree in Agronomy were obtained from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Phil Journal of Crop Science and scientific reviewer of five other journals. Mahaletchumy Arujanan is Executive Director of Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) and Editor-in-Chief of The Petri Dish – the first science newspaper in Malaysia. She has a degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Masters in Biotechnology and PhD in science communication from University of Malaya. Maha won the 2010 Third World Academy of Science Regional Prize for Public Understanding of Science for East, Southeast Asia and Pacific Region. She is actively involved in public understanding of biotech since 2003 where she enjoys excellent working relationships with various ministries, government agencies, research institutes, public and private universities, industries, and various international organizations. Supat Attathom is Director of the Biotechnology and Biosafety Information Center (BBIC) hosted by the College of Agriculture, Kasetsart University in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. He holds a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of California at Riverside, USA. Voices and Views: Why Biotech? v Brigitte Bitta is Program Officer at ISAAA AfriCenter. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, Zoology, and Chemistry from Bangalore University, India. Currently, she is pursuing an MSc degree in Agricultural Information and Communication Management at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She assists in the implementation of various projects of the Biotech Information Centers in East Africa and West Africa and serves as the secretariat of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology project. M. Iqbal Choudhary is Professor of Organic Chemistry and Director at International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research) as well as the Director of Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center located at the same center. He is graded as one of the most productive scientists of Pakistan by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology, and is recognized for his original contributions in the fields of natural products and bioorganic chemistry. He has written and edited 30 books, most of which have been published in the U.S. and Europe. Brian Chow, an executive of the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation, is a biotechnologist by training. He holds a B.S. in Biotechnology from Monash University. He has close to 10 years of experience in the life sciences and biotechnology field and is passionate in the development of biotechnology and science- related businesses in Malaysia. Clement Dionglay is