Biotechnologies at work for smallholders

Biotechnologies at work for smallholders: Case studies from developing countries in crops, livestock and fish.
Occasional papers on Innovation in Family Farming.
Edited by: J. Ruane, J.D. Dargie, C. Mba, P. Boettcher, H.P.S. Makkar, D.M. Bartley and A. Sonnino
October 2013,  FAO, 204 pages

29 October 2013. FAO published a a new book on "Biotechnologies at work for smallholders: Case studies from developing countries in crops, livestock and fish".

The press release is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian and Spanish. To accompany the press release, a Question-and-Answers document (in English) was also published as well as a radio interview (in English and Spanish) with Andrea Sonnino, Chief of the FAO Research and Extension Unit.

This book documents a unique series of 19 case studies where agricultural biotechnologies were used to serve the needs of smallholders in developing countries. They cover different regions, production systems, species and underlying socio-economic conditions in the crop (seven case studies), livestock (seven) and aquaculture/fisheries (five) sectors.

Most of the case studies involve a single crop, livestock or fish species and a single biotechnology. The biotechnologies covered include some that are considered quite traditional, such as fermentation and artificial insemination, as well as other more modern ones, such as the use of DNA-based approaches to detect pathogens. Prepared by scientists and researchers who were directly involved in the initiatives, the authors were able to provide an insider’s guide to the background, achievements, obstacles, challenges and lessons learned from each case study. 

The final chapter of the book summarizes the background, challenges, results and lessons learned from the 19 case studies.

Andrea Sonnino is Chief of FAO’s Research and Extension unit. In an interview he elaborates on biotechnologies, a case study in India, as well as why these biotechnologies can be useful for achieving food security.

Related:
SciDev 20/11/2013. Politicians and farmers are ‘key to biotech success’