Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Monday, June 27, 2011

A decade of EU-funded GMO research (2001 - 2010)

A decade of EU-funded GMO research (2001 - 2010) [PDF document - 3.88 MB]
This publication (June 2010) summarises the results of 50 selected research projects on genetically modified organisms (GMO), co-funded by the European Commission under the Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation, and conducted in the period 2001 - 2010, including a summary of the latest Eurobarometer survey 2010 on Life Sciences and Biotechnology.

This study concluded:

“Biotechnologies could provide us with useful tools in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, food production and industry. Crop production will have to cope with rapidly increasing demand while ensuring environmental sustainability. Preservation of natural resources and the need to support the livelihoods of farmers and rural populations around the world are major concerns. In order to achieve the best solutions, we must consider all the alternatives for addressing these challenges using independent and scientifically sound methods. These alternatives include genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their potential use.” 
The study drew its conclusions from the work of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research involving more than 500 independent research groups. Its most important conclusion was “that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies. Another very important conclusion is that today’s biotechnological research and applications are much more diverse than they were 25 years ago…”


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By Calestous Juma

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