Issues in the Political Economy of Agricultural Biotechnology

Twenty-first century bioeconomy: Global challenges of biological knowledge for health and agriculture

“…Our results also evidence the important role of food and energy security issues in the framing of new biology and how that influences the research agenda (Ayele and Wield, 2005;Wield et al, 2010). We have detailed changing public policy and strategic management issues in research development and innovation in the most relevant industries (agro-chemicals, seeds, farming and retailing) (Chataway et al, 2004.…”

“…Our research shows that, at the level of industrial processes, companies previously dominated by chemistry are now increasingly drawing on biology and have large interdisciplinary science and business teams (Chataway et al, 2004Wield et al 2010). Agri-chemical and seeds companies, which were previously separate entities with a high degree of independence (the former historically more profitable than the latter), are now tightly integrated.…”

“…Agri-chemical and seeds companies, which were previously separate entities with a high degree of independence (the former historically more profitable than the latter), are now tightly integrated. New science and technology has co-evolved with new actors to bring novel organisational and institutional forms, such as large agricultural public-private partnerships integrating researchers, industries, donor funders and farmers, to generate new plant breeding techniques useful in developing as well as advanced countries (Wield et al, 2010). …”

Gendered Representations in Hawai‘i's Anti-Gmo Activism

“…Hawaiʻi's anti-GMO organising takes place within the context of global debates concerning the safety, ethics and economy of transgenic crops and is related to wider arguments about the effects of input-intensive agriculture, corporate concentration and gene patenting, among other issues (Kleinman and Kloppenburg, 1991;Lapegna, 2014;Schurman and Munro, 2010;Wield et al, 2010). Proponents of transgenic technologies highlight the yields of transgenic crops, arguing that they require fewer pesticides (James, 2014;Federation of American Scientists, 2011a) and that new plant traits will help sustain growing populations, deal with climate change and reduce costs for farmers (Qaim et al, 2013;James, 2014).…”

From maturity to value-added innovation: lessons from the pharmaceutical and agro-biotechnology industries

“…Lead 90 molecules were then optimised to produce lead candidates for further development. biotechnology has moved towards GM seed technology, with total agro-biotechnology 114 R&D expected to equal agrochemicals in 2009 [26]. 115…”