Public Acceptance of Agricultural Biotechnology

Abstract

Trends in public attitudes toward agro-biotechnology have been traced and analyzed in many countries around the globe. Over the years, there have been concerns about perceived environmental and food safety risks from the use of biotechnology. There have also been ethical and religious concerns about the right of humans to “interfere” with the order of the natural world or patent life. At the same time, there has been anticipation for increased food and fiber production for a burgeoning world population, reduced pollution, improved food quality and other potential benefits from agro-biotechnology. There should be little doubt that the occasional balance of such perceptions has influenced the public debate on an appropriate regulatory framework for implementing agro-biotechnologies. Similarly, decisions on the relevant regulatory framework have shaped the technology itself and its public acceptance.