Global Biotech Impacts & Importance of Science in Outreach

1. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Global Biotech Impacts
&
Importance of Science in Outreach
Donna Ramaeker Zahn, Global Outreach Strategist
Indonesia – 2014

2. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Outline
• Introduction to IFPRI / PBS
• Facts of biotechnology
– Production
– Products
– Potential
– Benefits
• Effective communication is difficult & essential

3. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
PBS – Who We Are & How We Work
• Independent
– IFPRI part of CGIAR systems & centers
– Share the evidence and science of biosafety
– No product to sell
• Local knowledge through sustained local teams
• A diverse, comprehensive, integrated approach
– Food, feed and environmental safety experts
– Independent policy research
– Legal analysis
– Innovative and integrated outreach approaches
• Reproducible models and best practices

4. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Where We Work
• Africa
– Kenya
– Uganda
– Nigeria
– Malawi
– Tanzania
– Ghana
– Ethiopia
– Regional harmonization
• COMESA, ECOWAS
• Asia
– Vietnam
– Indonesia
– Philippines
• Global
• Cartagena Protocol

5. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Services We Provide
• Capacity building for national biosafety officials
• Technical support for development of operational biosafety policies
• Guidelines for safety trials
• Farmer release guidelines
• Functional coordination among
agencies
• Strategic outreach & communication
– Science fact management
– Capacity building for decision makers
• Strategy support

6. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Grown in 27 countries on 175.3m ha.
Of the 17.3 million farmers, about 14.7 million were small farmers
from China, India and the Philippines.

7. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Global Use & Development
GMO Answers

8. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
GM Crops Being Grown
Reduced Pesticide Use No-till Compatible
₋ Insect resistant maize - Herbicide tolerant canola
₋ Insect resistant cotton - Herbicide tolerant cotton
₋ Virus resistant squash - Herbicide tolerant maize
₋ Insect resistant soybean - Herbicide tolerant soybean
₋ Virus resistant papaya - Herbicide tolerant sugar beet
http://www.isaaa.org/gmapprovaldatabase/

9. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Results
Conventional
Biotech
Insect Protected Corn Virus Protected Paypaya
Damage
Damage
Protected
- Biotech

10. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Additional Potential
• Banana
– Enhanced nutrition
– Disease resistant
• Cowpea
– Insect resistant
• Cassava
– Virus resistant
– Enhanced nutrition
• Maize
– Drought tolerant
• Rice
– Salt & drought tolerant
– Enhanced nutrition
• Sugarcane
– Drought tolerant
• Eggplant
– Insect tolerant

11. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Benefits
ISAAA

12. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Benefits
We started to plant Bt corn in
2003. Because of planting Bt corn,
we were able to buy a house and
lot, farm machineries and even
farm land.”
Indalencio Supan
Balitucan, Magalang
Pampanga, Philippines
ISAAA

13. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Benefits
• Realized
– Herbicide tolerant
• Reduced tillage – 90%
• Reduced exposure to
chemicals
• Reduction in active
ingredient – 44%
• Fossil fuel savings
– Insect resistant
• 80% reduction in insecticides
• Improved biodiversity w/ IPM
• Reduced levels of fumonisin
in grain
Smyth et al, 2010; Murray, 2006; Graham, 2012; Kershen, 2006
• Anticipated: Climate
Change Adaptive
– Drought tolerant
• Water conservation
• Maintaining yield under
stress
– Fertilizer efficiency
• Reduced runoff into
water
• Maintaining yield
– Nutrition improvement
• Increased contributions
• Reduction of suffering

14. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Why is Biotechnology so Interesting?
• 2 decades of proven, safe use….
– 2 trillion meals eaten
– 100 billion animals fed
– There’s NOT a single validated harm caused by biotech
• It’s size neutral
– Small holder farmers and large farmers are benefiting
• The communications gap
– Digital media explosion without traditional media ethics
– Biotech has not told an emotion-based story
– Scientists struggle to communicate
• Fear is created by misinformation

15. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Non-Scientists Scientists/Technical
The Communications Gap
Headline /
Conclusion
Conclusion
Info relevant
to conclusion
Technical Theory
Collecting data
- adjusting
theory
Background - The rest
of the story
Scientists struggle to communicate

16. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
• Dahlstrom 2014 research
– “Non scientists get most of their science information from
mass media, which is biased toward narrative formats” –
or storytelling.
– Gap occurs due to “distinctly different brain cognitive
pathways for comprehension” or understanding.
• Scientists – Paradigmatic pathway – deductive reasoning
• General public – situation-based exemplars
– In direct comparison, narrative formats are:
• Generally more efficient
• Recalled twice as well – regardless of prior topic knowledge
• Read twice as fast
The Communications Gap
Scientists struggle to communicate

17. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
• Narratives represent the default mode of human
thought
• Creates an ethical dilemma for scientists
– Narratives are understood to be persuasive
– Scientists represent the facts only – which are difficult to
understand
• General public receives most scientific information
from internet in narrative format
The Communications Gap
Scientists struggle to communicate

18. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
In Narrative Format
Scientist
General Public Reaction
Fiske, Dupree 2014

19. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
In Narrative Format
Scientist
General Public Reaction
Fiske, Dupree 2014

20. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
The Communications Gap
Via Peter Singer

21. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Communications Gap Can Create
Misunderstanding and Misinformation

22. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
Summary
• One innovation that is useful to solve issues facing
agriculture
• Two decades of safe use and consumption
• Millions of hectares
• Farm-size neutral
• Important that scientists communicate knowledge in
a way that it is understood

23. Program for Biosafety Systems – http://pbs.ifpri.info/
• Terima Kasih!
• Thank you!