We would like you to know how we feel about the benefits of biotechnology.
Across the farms of Europe and the United States, crops grow plentifully, providing an over-abundance of food. But in other parts of the world, food shortages still confront the population every day. Finding new ways to meet our global need for food, while maintaining ecological balance, might be the greatest challenge we face in the next century.
We all share the same planet - and the same needs. In agriculture, many of our needs have an ally in biotechnology and the promising advances it offers for our future. Biotechnology is the science of changing the genetic makeup of seeds that grow our food to add new benefits. Healthier, more abundant yields. Reduced reliance on pesticides and fossil fuels. A cleaner environment.
As we stand on the edge of a new millennium, we dream of a tomorrow without hunger. To achieve that dream, we must overcome many hurdles, including poverty, distribution, water supply, soil erosion and crop disease. Biotechnology alone cannot address all of these hurdles, but it is an important tool in our hands today. We know advances in biotechnology must be tested and safe, but they should not be unduly delayed.
In the next century, we need food that is more plentiful and more affordable than it is today. With more productivity needed from less tillable land, we need new ways to yield more from what is left. To strengthen our economies, we need to grow our own food as independently as we can. Agricultural biotechnology can help play a major role in realizing the hope we all share. This science can help make a dramatic difference in millions of lives.
Securing food for our future is the beginning of a better life for us all. Let the harvest begin.
Costa Rica Dr. Oscar Arias Former President, Nobel Peace Laureate Carlos E. Aquino González Director General, IICA, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
Panama
Bolivia
Peru
Prof. Francisco Delgado de la Flor
Dr. Carlos Amat y Leon
Argentina
Dr. Isaias Schor
Brazil
Renato Johnsson
Mexico
Dr. Francisco Bolívar
Prof. Antonio Velazquez
Jorge Kondo Lopez
M. Shafik Gabr
Israel
Morocco |
Senegal Babacar N'Diaye Former President, African Development Bank
Nigeria
Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti
Uganda
Joyce F. Mungherera
South Africa
Kenya
Dr. Cyrus G. Ndiritu
Ghana
Dr. Esther Ocloo
Lucia Quachey
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Dr. Harry N. Will
Namibia |
The Russian Federation Aleksandr Yakovlev Chairman, Presidential Commission on Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions
Prof. Konstatin Skryabin
Bulgaria
Prof. Atanas Atanassov
Ukraine
Czech Republic
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
China
Prof. Gufan Hong
Korea
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea
Philippines |