James F. Evans Collection, Research directors at American land-grant universities are optimistic regarding the future of agricultural biotechnology and expect the ongoing "biotechnology revolution" to benefit the public, including consumers and farmers. Unresolved public policy questions involving biotechnology do concern many of the research administrators who responded to an opinion poll, but the prevailing attitude appears to be on of confident expectation that solutions will in time emerge for all outstanding biotech problems. Asked about "biotechnology's ethical questions," a majority of the respondents that U.S. land-grant institutions are well equipped to deal with such questions. The respondents said biotechnology may pose environmental risks, but they did not expect biological catastrophes to occur. They said biotechnology could be used to foster low-input methods of agricultural production, and they were in favor of pursuing biotech research that might improve agriculture's sustainability. (original)
Zilberman, David (author), Khanna, Madhu (author), and Sunding, David (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1998
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C17004
Notes:
Pages 257-284 in Steven A. Wolf (ed.), Privatization of information and agricultural industrialization. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. 299 pages, This chapter originated as part of a workshop held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 25-26, 1995. Theme of the workshop: "Privatization of information and technology transfer in U.S. agriculture: research and policy implications."
