The conference on Agricultural biotechnology organsied by Prof Calestous Juma with teh assistance of University of Addis Abeba and undp and many other partners ended yesetrday. It demonstrated a very helathy status of biotechnology in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. Perhaps, the findings of comparative research on sustainable agriculture in which  non chemical based aternatives  could have been compared with chemcial based and biotech based on farm trials  could also be shared. It is importnat because the agneda of biotechnology should be shaped by the local needs and aspirations, how can drought be tolerated, how can saline soils be made more productive, how can stress tolerance increased in cops or animals, are some of the questions on which i would have liked to see more debate. The ethical issues were discussed but without brgining our enough tension. Should embryo trsnfer technology in livestock be invested in, when india, with much  more advanced capabilities, has not produced very many such calves or improved milk yield because of that.

i wish there were critical reviews of biotech experience. how pesticide consumption first went down in Gujarat due to Bt cotton and then started increasing. But initial gains in gujarat are outstanding because minor irrigation and farmer bred biotech varities were also in place.  There are lessosn to be learned. with 98 per cent of irrigated cotton under BT, and no refugia at all, are we not heading for disaster. We could perhaps disucss these things  more and create a wiser and more mature framework for using biotech among compteting choices. With huge expansion fo irrigation planned in Ethiopia, farm tools, non-chemcial agriculture, small machinery and judicious use of biotech can help, let the  debate start on farmers’ and labourers  innovations and institutions, ethics and culture, diversity and developmental aspirations