Source: Dodds, John. 1994. Agricultural biotechnology for sustainable productivityBa USAID initiative for plant biotechnology in the developing world. p. 95-104. In June Fessenden MacDonald (ed.) Agricultural biotechnology and the public good. NABC, Ithaca, NY.

The world human population has been increasing at about 80 million/year over the past several decades. There is no doubt that if it continues to increase at that rate, the world will not be able to produce a large enough quantity of crops to feed all of the people. This increase in population intensifies the need for higher yielding, more nutritious crops. Perhaps the most effective way to combat this dilemma is through the use of biotechnology. Unfortunately for developing nations, it is difficult to put this new technology into practice, yet they are the ones that would benefit from it most. To help aid these developing countries and increase the sustainability of agricultural productivity, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was created. The first funded program of USAID was the Tissue Culture for Crops Project (TCCP), whose main goal was to produce crops (namely wheat, rice, and sorghum) which are tolerant to a wide range of stresses, including salinity, drought, and certain soil conditions. Thus far, TCCP has been successful in creating crops resistant to fall armyworms and crops tolerant to acidic and aluminum-rich soil conditions. The next project of USAID, which is still underway, is Agricultural Biotechnology for Sustainable Productivity (ABSP). The goal of this project is to aid developing nations as they embrace widespread applications of biotechnology so that these nations may effectively approach priority issues that have negative effects on their agricultural productivity. For instance, they are working with scientists of developing nations to genetically engineer pest and pathogen resistant crops that will reduce the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides while increasing the yield and nutritional content. USAID implements the cooperative efforts of both public sectors (such as Scripps Institute) and private sectors (such as DNA Plant Technology Corporation). USAID's connection with the private sector proves especially important since a majority of the technology being developed is done by the private, rather than the public, sector. Through the use of biotechnology, USAID expects to improve conditions by reducing constraints on nine major crops in four developing countries. They are expecting, for instance, to increase corn yields by 40 percent. In conclusion, USAID works with developing nations to incorporate new agricultural technologies in order to help the economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural production while enhancing the quality of life through healthier crops.

Abstract author: Alexandra Wright, 13 October 2000.

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