AgBioForum, vol. 08, no. 1 (2005)
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Item An Empirical Analysis of United States Consumers' Concerns About Eight Food Production and Processing Technologies(AgBioForum, 2005) Teisl, Mario F. (Mario Francis), 1960-; Hwang, Yun-jae; Roe, BrianFor a representative sample of US consumers, we analyze ratings of concern toward eight food production and processing technologies: antibiotics, pesticides, artificial growth hormones, genetic modification (GM), irradiation, artificial colors/flavors, pasteurization, and preservatives. Concern is highest for pesticides and hormones, followed by concern about antibiotics, genetic modification, and irradiation. We document standard relationships between many demographic, economic, and attitude variables and the average concern level. Our main contribution is identifying three clusters of technologies that engender similar patterns of concern ratings among respondents and estimating models that correlate key personal and household characteristics to these underlying technology concern factors. We find that several individual characteristics that yield little explanatory power for average ratings have discriminatory power for explaining concern across different technology clusters.Item The Impact of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin on Dairy Farm Profits : A Switching Regression Analysis(AgBioForum, 2005) Tauer, Loren W., 1951-Profit impact from the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) on dairy farms was estimated using switching regression, with separate regressions for rbST-using and rbST-nonusing farms. To correct for potential self-selection bias, a probit adoption function was estimated and used to correct the error term in each regression equation. Farmers who use rbST were found to have more formal education and to have larger dairy herds; age was not a significant determining factor in adoption. RbST was estimated to not increase per-cow profit.Item A Public Consultation on Plant Molecular Farming(AgBioForum, 2005) Einsiedel, Edna F.; Medlock, JenniferPlant molecular farming (PMF) is another phase in the ongoing research and development of transgenic plants, offering possibilities of producing therapeutic and industrial proteins. However, this technology poses important social and policy challenges. A public consultation was held in four regions in Canada using a modified focus group approach. Respondents received a background document on the technology prior to discussions. Five specific applications were discussed to investigate views on food versus nonfood crops, medical versus industrial applications, and containment approaches. Public assessments were on a case-by-case basis but were also clearly based on balancing benefits and risks as well as considerations of environmental impacts and regulatory oversight.Item Biopharming and the Food System : Examining the Potential Benefits and Risks(AgBioForum, 2005) Elbehri, AzizBiopharming (using crops as drug-producing bioreactors) offers tremendous economic and health benefits stimulated by improving biotechnology methods. However, these benefits must be weighed against the potential risks to the food supply system and the costs of containing pharma crops to meet zero-tolerance contamination requirements. A combination of strong and adaptable regulatory oversight with technological innovations is required to achieve the twin goals of capturing the benefits of biopharming and safeguarding the food system and the environment. This paper examines the demand pull driving biopharming and the risk and liabilities to agriculture and reviews the regulatory and technological responses to the containment challenge faced by the food industry.Item Evolution of Capacity for Institutionalized Management of Intellectual Property at International Agricultural Research Centers : A Strategic Case Study(AgBioForum, 2005) Egelyng, HenrikIntellectual property rights long remained a matter dealt with in vague terms of general policy at international agricultural research centers (IARCs). This situation changed at the turn of the century, when intellectual property (IP) became an object of a major institution-building process at three centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This article analyzes why and how policies were grounded and made operational in terms of new intellectual property structures and procedures. Focusing on initial developments at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), this analysis aims to make a strategic case and contribute towards an analytic framework for investigating institutional capacity for IP rights management by international organizations pursuing public missions.