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<td valign="top" width="478" height="205"><font color="#666666" size="1"><img height="28" src="http://www.bic.searca.org/e-news/images/inthenews.jpg" width="139"></font> <br><a><em><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#666666" size="2">Posted 02 August 2009</font></em></a><br>
<br><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#336600" size="2"><strong>PHILIPPINES</strong></font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><strong> <br></strong>1-ASFARNET PHILIPPINES UPHOLDS SUPPORT TO AGRI-BIOTECHNOLOGY<br>
2-PHILIPPINE NAST AWARDS PREMIER BIOTECH PLANT BREEDERS<br>3-‘NANOTECH CAN HELP RP ACHIEVE MDGS’<br>4-CONGRESS URGED TO REQUIRE GMO FOOD LABELING<br>5-EXPERT AGREES ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE NEEDS REVISION<br><br></font><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#336600" size="2"><strong>JAPAN</strong></font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"> <br>
6-SMARTSTAX CORN RECEIVES JAPANESE IMPORT APPROVAL<br><br></font><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#336600" size="2"><strong>UNITED STATES</strong></font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"> <br>
7-EXXON MOBIL INVESTS IN ALGAE BIOFUEL PROJECT<br><br></font><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#336600" size="2"><strong>GLOBAL</strong></font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"> <br>8-FARMERS CAN FEED THE WORLD<br>
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<div align="left"><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>1-ASFARNET PHILIPPINES UPHOLDS SUPPORT TO AGRI-BIOTECHNOLOGY</strong><br>By Jenny A. Panopio<br>24-July-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release<br><br>
The Asian Farmer’s Network-Philippines (ASFARNET-Philippines) made a resounding statement supporting the employment of biotechnology tools for food, feed and fiber security. Members and officers of the network signed a declaration during their organizational meeting and biotechnological workshop held last July 22-23 at Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. The declaration states that biotechnology offers solutions in alleviating agricultural production, and biotech crops and products have undergone extensive food, feed and environmental safety assessment prior to commercialization, thus are considered to be safe for consumption and cultivation. <br>
<br>Farmer representatives from the three major islands of the country, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, shared their first-hand experiences in planting biotech corn in their own farms. All of them concurred on the positive impact that technology has provided and would like to share the benefits of the technology to the their co-farmers. <br>
<br>ASFARNET-Philippines commits to continue and widen its involvement in agri-biotechnology advocacy and educational campaign to reduce the misconceptions and to enhance the adoption and utilization of biotech crops and products in the country. The group also urged the government and the public and private sectors to strengthen their efforts in building biotechnology awareness and provide science-based information in order to uphold “farmers’ choice” in the adoption of new farming technology. <br>
<br>Conceived in 2003, ASFARNET-Philippines is composed of farmer-leaders and key stakeholders coming from 15 regions of the country. Most of the members of ASFARNET Philippines are adoptors of biotech corn since its first planting in 2003 and are actively involved in advocating the use of the technology. About100,000 small-scale Filipino farmers planted biotech corn in more than 350,000 hectares in 2008. <br>
<br>To view the declaration, click on this link:<br><br></font></font><a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/docs/ASFARNET_Declaration.pdf" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">http://www.bic.searca.org/docs/ASFARNET_Declaration.pdf</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">For more information on the updates of agri-biotechnology in the Philippines, visit </font><a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">http://www.bic.searca.org</font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"> or email </font><a href="mailto:bic@agri.searca.org" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">bic@agri.searca.org</font></a><br>
<br><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br><strong>2-PHILIPPINE NAST AWARDS PREMIER BIOTECH PLANT BREEDERS</strong><br>By Rochella B. Lapitan<br>
17-July-2009 SEARCA BIC Press Release<br><br>The Philippines’ National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) recently culminated its 31st Annual Scientific Meeting with the conferment of new academicians and recognition of outstanding young scientists.<br>
<br>Dr. Eufemio Rasco, Jr., a plant breeder and professor from the University of the Philippines Mindanao, was conferred as one of the new academicians of NAST for his pioneering contributions in breeding tropical white potato and his vast contribution in agribiotechnology education in the country. As a professor, Dr. Rasco spearheaded the development of a general education course on biotechnology, the first in the country, that is now adopted by four universities. Dr. Rasco’s collaborative research work with the private sector on biotech corn hybrids also led to the commercial approval and expansion of biotech corn market in the country. In addition, his book entitled, “The Unfolding Gene Revolution”, published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study (SEARCA), was last year’s NAST Outstanding Book. <br>
<br>On the other hand, a young breeder from the University of the Philippines Los Banos UPLB was also honored by NAST as one of the 2009 Outstanding Young Scientists (OYS) of the year. Dr. Antonio Lalusin was recognized for his significant work in abaca, sweet potato and cassava breeding. He has successfully blended modern biotechnology techniques with conventional plant breeding strategies using molecular marker assisted selection in screening and was able to develop high yielding and pest resistant varieties.<br>
<br>NAST is a prestigious S&T award-giving and advisory body that annually provides recognition to scientific and technological achievements in the country.<br><br>For more biotechnology updates in the Philippines, visit SEARCA BIC website at </font></font><a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">http://www.bic.searca.org</font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"> or e-mail </font><a href="mailto:bic@agri.searca.org" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">bic@agri.searca.org</font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">. <br>
<br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br><strong>3-‘NANOTECH CAN HELP RP ACHIEVE MDGS’</strong><br>by Rizal Raoul Reyes (Correspondent )<br>26-July-2009 </font><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">Business Mirror</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">NANOTECHNOLOGY is one area where the Philippines must focus in order to develop its capabilities in several fields that could help the country achieve development, Dr. Fabian Dayrit, dean of the School of Science and Engineering of Ateneo de Manila University. <br>
<br>“As far as the Philippines is concerned, nanotechnology can be applied in niche areas and local needs so that it will be able to meet the objectives of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals,” Dayrit said at the Scientific Meetings as part of last week’s celebration of the National Science and Technology Week. <br>
<br>“Health and environmental risks, biotechnology, materials science, and information and communications technology [ICT] are some of the possible applications of nanotechnology in the Philippines,” he added.<br><br>Dayrit said current and potential applications of nanotechnology, such as environmental assessment and weather analysis, are already on a global scale. <br>
<br>Contrary to popular perception, Dayrit said nanotechnology is not mere miniaturization. It also involves the exploitation of new phenomena which arise at the atomic and molecular levels.<br><br>“Nanotechnology is not completely new, and it’s already with us. Let us explore its practical applications. Nanotechnology is the new thing, just as micro during the earlier times,” he said.<br>
<br>Dayrit said nanotechnology is vital because it is not a single technology; it may become pervasive. It also “seeks to produce new materials with specific properties.”<br><br>“Nanotechnology may introduce new efficiencies and paradigms which may make some natural resources and current practices uncompetitive or obsolete,” Dayrit, a balik scientist, said.<br>
<br>He added that it may be “very difficult to detect its presence,” unless one has the special tools for nanotechnology.<br><br>Wikipedia defines nanotechnology as the “engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.” One nanometer is one billionth, or 10 to the minus ninth power, of a meter.<br>
<br>Nanotechnology, Wikipedia added, is very diverse, ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics, to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.<br>
<br>“Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with wide-ranging applications, such as in medicine, electronics, and energy production,” it said. <br><br>K. Eric Drexler popularized the term “nanotechnology” in the 1980s.<br>
<br>To make Filipinos more aware of the benefits of nanotechnology, Dayrit said there must be public-education campaigns on the technology, including its potential benefits, risks and its costs. <br><br>To ensure it is a propeople science, Dayrit said it must consider the public interest and needs in the design and development of nanotechnology products.<br>
<br>There must be an organization for the nanotechnology clearing house and oversight structure to monitor its programs, he said.<br><br>“We also need to establish a parallel R&D [research and development] efforts on the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology products, life-cycle assessments and social impacts. At the same time, the country must also develop its capabilities for quick assessment and response,” said Dayrit.<br>
<br>In ICT, Dayrit said nanotechnology could help in developing processors and chips, which can have more functionality, speed and computing power. <br><br>At the same time, he said it could also respond to the requirements for better integrability, portability and higher power efficiency.<br>
<br>Dayrit said it is also useful in the development of materials for used on nonfossil fuel-based energy sources. In solar energy, nanotechnology can help develop nanoceramics on photovoltaic cells. <br><br>Other applications are nanocatalysts for combustion, nanocomposites and hydrogen-fuel cells.<br>
<br>For food and agriculture, Dayrit said nanotechnology could be useful for big corporate farms and small farms. Big farms, he said, could apply it in smart field systems, smart delivery systems in agriculture and food products, food packaging, nanosensors, and plant and animal breeding.<br>
<br>“It may be useful even to the small farmer as an aid for decision-making and resource conservation,” said Dayrit.<br><br>In medicine, nanomedicine has the potential to enable early detection and prevention of illnesses, and to essentially improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of diseases.<br>
<br>To develop nanotechnology in the country, Dayrit said the following measures must be implemented:<br><br>• Introduce nanotechnology in all science and engineering courses, and strengthen programs specifically for nanotechnology;<br>
• Provide major universities with basic equipment to image and characterize nanostructures (the basic instrument, the atomic force microscope, is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy that costs $120,000 each); <br>
• Encourage interdisciplinary interaction among science and engineering departments in nanotechnology;<br>• Upgrade National Metrology Institute for nanotechnology;<br>• Identify laboratories for nanoparticle measurements;<br>
• Invest in new tools (high resolution TEM, XPS, SIMS);<br>• Accreditation of laboratories by international organizations;<br>• R&D in methodologies for nanotesting, including the development of certified materials or standards for use in calibration of equipment;<br>
• Develop MSTQ infrastructure for nanotechnology.<br><br>Dayrit said the importance of nanotechnology could no longer be ignored. In 2001 the US National Nanotechnology Initiative invested about $220 million for research and discovery. The budget for 2008 went up to $1.5 billion.<br>
<br>Other countries which have invested for nanotechnology include the European Union (€1 billion in 2004), Japan ($800 million in 2003), South Korea ($2 billion for 10 years), Taiwan ($600 million for over six years) and China ($100 million in 2003).<br>
<br>In 2008 Dayrit said the total worldwide investment in nanotechnology reached more than $10 billion.<br><br>Besides Dayrit, the other scientists involved in nanotechnology research in the country are Dr. Blessie Basilia, Dr. Christina Binag, Dr. Carlo Mar Blanca, Dr. Erwin Enriquez, Dr. Antonio Laurena, Dr. Jim Josephus Minglana, Dr. Guillermo Nuesca, Dr. Milagros Peralta, Dr. Veronica Sabularse, Dr. Arnel Salvador, Dr. Roland Sarmago, Dr. Armando Somintac, Dr. Fortunato Sevilla, Ian Harvey Arellano, Michael Defensor, Christian Malapit, Ruby Janet Ortiz and Dindi Tisha Samsuya.<br>
<br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br><strong>4-CONGRESS URGED TO REQUIRE GMO FOOD LABELING </strong><br>by Nestor P. Burgos Jr. (Inquirer Visayas)<br>25-July-2009 </font><a href="http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=20090725-217132" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">Inquirer.net</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Groups opposing the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are calling for the compulsory labeling of products containing GMOs as a guide to consumers.<br>
<br>Lawyer Lilibeth Aruelo of The Third World Network Forum, an international network on environmental and developmental issue, said the manufacturers of products with GMOs should be required to indicate its contents in the product label.<br>
<br>“Consumers in the Philippines do not know if the products they are buying contain GMOs and they should be provided with this information so they can choose,” Aruelo said in a forum on genetic engineering held in Iloilo City Wednesday.<br>
<br>A GMO is a plant, animal, or microorganism with its genetic code changed through biotechnology to give it characteristics that it does not have.<br><br>GMOs have been used in agriculture, including the production of pest resistant and high-yielding crops and in medicines.<br>
<br>While its proponents see GMO production as a leap in technology and production, various sectors oppose it because of its impact on environment and health.<br><br>Aruelo called on legislators to amend the Consumers Act (Republic Act 7394) so it would include the mandatory labeling of products containing GMOs.<br>
<br>She said measures like these were necessary in the absence of a law in the country regulating the production and the use of GMOs.<br><br>The only regulation is contained in Department of Agriculture Order 8 issued in 2002, which regulates the importation of GMO products.<br>
<br>Camilo Beltran, a Mexican scientist and research associate at the New Zealand-based Center for Integrated Research in Biosafety, said at the forum that there was an urgent need to raise public awareness on the impact of GMOs on the environment, health, agriculture, and food security.<br>
<br>Beltran said the Philippines was one of 12 countries that have allowed entry of GMO products, including corn, potato, canola, sugar beet, soybean, cotton, and alfalfa.<br><br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br>
<strong>5-EXPERT AGREES ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE NEEDS REVISION</strong><br>by Ma. Ester L. Espina <br>24-July-2009 </font><a href="http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/24/yehey/prov/20090724pro3.html" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">Manila Times</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">BACOLOD CITY: With a sweeping ban against living and non-living genetically modified organisms in currently implemented in Negros Occidental, an invited scientist advocating against GMO produce admits the law passed in the province “needs to be reworded” and should focus on the ultimate thrust of aiming to an organic bowl in the country. <br>
<br>Dr. Camilo Beltran, a biochemist engineer who specializes in post-genomic sciences and a research associate at the Center for Integrated Research in Biosafety, University of Canterbury in New Zealand was the first resource speaker invited by the provincial council in a six-day en-banc marathon hearing in reviewing the Anti-GMO law that has earned so much criticism for its sweeping coverage. <br>
<br>Ordinance 007 calls for the total banning of all living and non-living GMOs, which includes even pharmaceutical products, feeds and processed foods containing GMOs. <br><br>In yesterday’s hearing, Beltran admitted that the ordinance is “so broad” and while he maintains the province should be very firm on their stand to ban GMO products, “you have to make a distinct definition” of what items should remain under the ban. <br>
<br>Currently, Beltran said the Philippines has accepted 49 varieties of GMO products including corn, cotton, potato, canola, sugar beet and alfalfa, all of which “has not gone through any scientific testing but only based on dossiers submitted by producers.” <br>
<br>But nevertheless, he says, the ordinance must be reworded and made “realistic” and should not totally ban but “perhaps regulate” some GMO products particularly pharmaceutical products and those being used in research. <br>
<br>When grilled by members of the council, Beltran admitted there is currently no established study showing absolute proof of the hazardous effects of GMO on human health but warned of “potential risks.” <br><br>But board member Melvin Ibañez said in aid of legislation, “concrete evidence” of its effects to human health is needed for the province to justify the ban. <br>
<br>Board member Edgardo Acuna on the other hand said that based on Beltran’s presentation, “the ordinance is pointless if Negros Oriental will not put a similar ban on the other side of the island.” <br><br>While both provinces have a memorandum of agreement to make Negros Island an “organic bowl,” there is no anti-GMO ordinance in the other province and in fact, there are reports of GMO corn plantations in Negros Oriental. <br>
<br>Beltran agrees “there must be a joint venture,” stating that organic and GMO can never co-exist. <br><br>However, the livestock and poultry industry in Negros Occidental that captures a big chunk of the national market says the continued ban on GMO products, specifically corn and soybeans which are pure GMO and which they use as feeds, “would lead to the collapse of our livestock industry.” <br>
<br>While the debate continues, Acuna said the vision is remains noble, “but there is a big question on availability” which “even Beltran can’t answer. <br><br>“We need to fast-track this because we understand that there are businesses getting affected,” Acuna said, adding that the debate might get more heated when “we get to the point of raising the question of choice.” <br>
<br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br></font><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>JAPAN<br>6-SMARTSTAX CORN RECEIVES JAPANESE IMPORT APPROVAL<br></strong>31-July-2009 </font></font><a href="http://agbios.com/static/news/NEWSID_10874.php" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">PRNewswire.com via Agbios</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">INDIANAPOLIS and ST. LOUIS -- A key regulatory milestone has been reached for the 2010 commercial launch of SmartStax(TM), the corn industry's eagerly anticipated seed trait combination that will provide U.S. and Canadian corn farmers the most comprehensive weed and insect control and allow them to significantly reduce their structured refuge requirement. Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and Dow AgroSciences LLC (NYSE: DOW), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, announced today that they have received full Japanese regulatory approval for importation of grain produced from SmartStax(TM).<br>
<br>The food, feed and environmental safety of SmartStax corn were each reviewed and approved by the government agencies in Japan. These approvals follow U.S. and Canadian regulatory approvals announced by the companies on July 20. With these approvals, SmartStax can be produced and planted in the United States and Canada and grain can be imported to Australia, New Zealand and Japan. <br>
<br>"The breakthrough of SmartStax is the field performance achieved by combining these already established and globally approved traits," said Jerry Hjelle, Monsanto Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. "Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences teams are working closely to obtain the few remaining import approvals ahead of the 2010 launch.<br>
<br>"As the world's leading corn importing country, Japanese approval is a significant milestone to ensure full market access to food and feed derived from SmartStax that will help U.S. and Canadian corn farmers to experience the benefits of the agriculture industry's most advanced, all-in-one corn trait platform, " Hjelle added. "Farmers who plant SmartStax will be better able to meet the growing global demand for grain through the increased whole-farm corn yield advantage SmartStax provides." <br>
<br>According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agriculture Service, Japan imports represent 20 percent of the world's corn exports for the 2009 marketing year, or 640 million bushels. <br><br>"These timely Japanese approvals are important; Japan is a valued importer of U.S. and Canadian corn, and SmartStax adds to our effort to provide a sustainable supply of high-quality corn to the Japanese market," said Brad Shurdut, Global Biotech Regulatory and Government Affairs Leader for Dow AgroSciences. "SmartStax, developed by Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto, provides potential increases in corn yield and supply and will help support the increased consumption and utilization of corn around the world in the 2010 U.S. season." <br>
<br>Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto are members of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and its affiliate Excellence Through Stewardship(R) (ETS). SmartStax will be commercialized consistent with the BIO Product Launch Stewardship Policy after meeting applicable regulatory requirements in key export markets with functioning agricultural biotechnology regulatory systems. <br>
<br>SmartStax is the result of best-in-class trait integration that combines each company's industry-leading corn traits to provide growers the broadest spectrum of above- and below-ground protection against pests and weeds versus any competitor in the market today. The multiple modes of action in SmartStax are the only proven means to reduce structured refuge and maintain long-term durability of corn trait technologies. U.S. and Canadian corn farmers who plant SmartStax will be able to substantially reduce the typical structured refuge from 20 percent to 5 percent in Canada and the Corn Belt and from 50 percent to 20 percent in the U.S. Cotton Belt.<br>
<br>By combining a comprehensive approach for insect and weed control with reduced above- and below-ground structured refuge, farmers who adopt SmartStax will have the opportunity to increase whole-farm corn yields 5 to 10 percent. <br>
<br>SmartStax is the outcome of a cross-licensing agreement and research and development collaboration signed in 2007 between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences plan to launch SmartStax on 3 to 4 million-plus acres in 2010. Monsanto will bring the corn product to market as Genuity(TM) SmartStax(TM). Dow AgroSciences plans to offer SmartStax through its seed brands which include Mycogen, Dairyland, Renze, Brodbeck, and Triumph.<br>
<br><strong><em>About SmartStax </em></strong><br><br>SmartStax combines the industry's leading above- and below-ground insect protection and herbicide tolerant traits for the most yield protection available to growers:<br>
<br>Above-ground insect control for protection against corn earworm, European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, sugar cane borer, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm and black cutworm: with Dow AgroSciences' HERCULEX(R) I Insect Protection technology and Monsanto's YieldGard(R) VT PRO(TM), a second-generation, two-gene lepidopteran control product contained in Genuity(TM) VT Triple PRO(TM). <br>
<br>Below-ground insect control for protection against Western, Northern and Mexican corn rootworms combining Monsanto's YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2 technology with Dow AgroSciences' HERCULEX(R) RW Insect Protection technology. <br>
<br>Broad spectrum weed and grass control bringing together Monsanto's Roundup Ready(R) 2 technology with Bayer CropScience's Liberty Link(R) herbicide tolerance.<br><br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br>
</font><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>UNITED STATES<br>7-EXXON MOBIL INVESTS IN ALGAE BIOFUEL PROJECT <br></strong>16-July-2009 </font></font><a href="http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/16/yehey/business/20090716bus12.html" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">Manila Times</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">WASHINGTON, D.C.: Oil giant Exxon¬Mobil announced an alliance Tuesday with biotech firm Synthetic Genomics to make a new biofuel from photosynthetic algae. <br><br>The biggest US energy firm said it was partnering with the firm headed by Craig Venter, a researcher who founded Human Genome Sciences and Celera Genomics and has worked on projects to sequence the genomes of humans, fruit flies and other organisms. <br>
<br>ExxonMobil said it expects to spend more than $600 million if certain milestones are reached to produce the fuel, which does not contribute to greenhouse emissions. <br><br>“This investment comes after several years of planning and study and is an important addition to ExxonMobil’s ongoing efforts to advance breakthrough technologies to help meet the world’s energy challenges,” said Emil Jacobs, vice president at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering. <br>
<br>“While significant work and years of research and development still must be completed, if successful, algae-based fuels could help meet the world’s growing demand for transportation fuel while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Michael Dolan, senior vice president of ExxonMobil. <br>
<br>“Our new algae biofuels program complements Exxon¬Mobil’s ongoing efforts to reduce emissions in our operations and by consumers of our products, through both efficiency improvements and technology breakthroughs.” <br>
<br>Last month, Dow Chemical announced plans to join Algenol Biofuels in a pilot-scale project to use algae and carbon dioxide to produce ethanol fuel. <br>-- <em><strong>AFP</strong></em> <br><br><strong>------------------------------------------------------------</strong><br>
</font><font size="2"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>GLOBAL<br>8-FARMERS CAN FEED THE WORLD <br></strong>by Norman E. Borlaug<br>3 0-July-2009 </font></font><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574304562754043656.html" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#0000ff" size="2">The Wall Street Journal</font></a><br>
<br><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Better seeds and fertilizers, not romantic myths, will let them do it. <br><br>Earlier this month in L’Aquila, Italy, a small town recently devastated by an earthquake, leaders of the G-8 countries pledged $20 billion over three years for farm-investment aid that will help resource-poor farmers get access to tools like better seed and fertilizer and help poor nations feed themselves.For those of us who have spent our lives working in agriculture, focusing on growing food versus giving it away is a giant step forward. <br>
<br>Given the right tools, farmers have shown an uncanny ability to feed themselves and others, and to ignite the economic engine that will reverse the cycle of chronic poverty. And the escape from poverty offers a chance for greater political stability in their countries as well.<br>
<br>But just as the ground shifted beneath the Italian community of L’Aquila, so too has the political landscape heaved in other parts of the world, casting unfounded doubts on agricultural tools for farmers made through modern science, such as biotech corn in parts of Europe. Even here at home, some elements of popular culture romanticize older, inefficient production methods and shun fertilizers and pesticides, arguing that the U.S. should revert to producing only local organic food. People should be able to purchase organic food if they have the will and financial means to do so, but not at the expense of the world’s hungry—25,000 of whom die each day from malnutrition. <br>
<br>Unfortunately, these distractions keep us from the main goal. Consider that current agricultural productivity took 10,000 years to attain the production of roughly six billion gross tons of food per year. Today, nearly seven billion people consume that stockpile almost in its entirety every year. Factor in growing prosperity and nearly three billion new mouths by 2050, and you quickly see how the crudest calculations suggest that within the next four decades the world’s farmers will have to double production. <br>
<br>They most likely will need to accomplish this feat on a shrinking land base and in the face of environmental demands caused by climate change. Indeed, this month Oxfam released a study concluding that the multiple effects of climate change might “reverse 50 years of work to end poverty” resulting in “the defining human tragedy of this century.”<br>
<br>At this time of critical need, the epicenter of our collective work should focus on driving continued investments from both the public and private sectors in efficient agriculture production technologies. Investments like those announced by the G-8 leaders will most likely help to place current tools—like fertilizer and hybrid seeds that have been used for decades in the developed world—into the hands of small-holder farmers in remote places like Africa with the potential for noted and measured impact. <br>
<br>That investment will not continue to motivate new and novel discoveries, like drought-tolerant, insect-resistant or higher-yielding seed varieties that advance even faster. To accomplish this, governments must make their decisions about access to new technologies, such as the development of genetically modified organisms—on the basis of science, and not to further political agendas. Open markets will stimulate continued investment, innovation and new developments from public research institutions, private companies and novel public/private partnerships. <br>
<br>We already can see the ongoing value of these investments simply by acknowledging the double-digit productivity gains made in corn and soybeans in much of the developed world. In the U.S., corn productivity has grown more than 40% and soybeans by nearly 30% from 1987 to 2007, while wheat has lagged behind, increasing by only 19% during the same period. Lack of significant investment in rice and wheat, two of the most important staple crops needed to feed our growing world, is unfortunate and short-sighted. It has kept productivity in these two staple crops at relatively the same levels seen at the end of the 1960s and the close of the Green Revolution, which helped turn Mexico and India from starving net grain importers to exporters.<br>
<br>Here, too, the ground seems to be slowly shifting in the right direction, as recent private investments in wheat and public/private partnerships in maize for Africa re-enter the marketplace. These investments and collaborations are critical in our quest to realize much needed productivity gains in rice and wheat to benefit farmers around the world—and, ultimately, those of us who rely on them to produce our daily food. <br>
<br>Of history, one thing is certain: Civilization as we know it could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply. Likewise, the civilization that our children, grandchildren and future generations come to know will not evolve without accelerating the pace of investment and innovation in agriculture production. <br>
<br><em>Mr. Borlaug, a professor at Texas A&M University, won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the world food supply. </em><br></font><br><a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#666666" size="1">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
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<br><a href="http://www.searca.org/web/news/2009/jul/web/24b.html" target="_blank"><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" color="#336600" size="1"><strong>SEARCA Awards Scholarships to 12 Southeast Asians</strong></font></a><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1"> <br>
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