Socioeconomic considerations relevant to the sustainable development, use and control of genetically modified foods

The rapid adoption of genetically modified (GM) organisms (GMOs) in agriculture has raised several concerns regarding not only ecological but also the economic and social aspects of their effects. In this chapter, such generic concerns about GMOs are reviewed with reference to sustainable agricultur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in food science & technology 2003, Vol.14 (5-8), p.294-318
Main Author: Otsuka, Yoshiki
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The rapid adoption of genetically modified (GM) organisms (GMOs) in agriculture has raised several concerns regarding not only ecological but also the economic and social aspects of their effects. In this chapter, such generic concerns about GMOs are reviewed with reference to sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD). It is suggested that current GMOs have both positive and negative effects on three indicators of the SARD, namely capital stocks, efficiency and equity. These conflicting effects depend on the socioeconomic conditions of development, use and control of GMOs, in which characteristics of a GM variety are shaped. Particularly, the influences of three problematic policy options, that is intellectual property protection, trade liberalization and biosafety implementation, are examined. Finally, intricate interactions of these policies are discussed.
ISSN:0924-2244
DOI:10.1016/S0924-2244(03)00077-3