This feature article examines some of the key debates around the role of genetically modified (GM) technology in Africa.

The technology promises much to malnourished populations on a continent that climate change threatens to make even more inhospitable to crops. But anti-GM campaigners maintain that Africa's hunger crisis will not be solved by biotechnology.

US agri-biotech corporations such as Monsanto who lobby African governments to buy into such technology also have a large financial stake in rolling out GM over such a large continent. The anti-GM lobby, traditionally made up of environment charities such as Greenpeace, are now seeing aid charities such as Oxfam join its ranks.

The real stand-off, however, is between the largely pro-GM United States and a cautious Europe. The US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is pro-GM, has provided millions of dollars to support biosafety policymaking and research in the developing world.

European countries meanwhile do not rule out introducing GM technology to Africa but want GM products labelled and traceable to their source. The deciding factor may be how effective GM is in improving nutrition — and that remains under debate.

The way discussions about biotechnology are framed is also dealt with, concluding that innovative, new techniques are required to create a rational dialogue with the public.

Innovation systems perspectives on agricultural research and technological change are fast becoming a popular approach to the study of how society generates, disseminates, and utilises knowledge. It provides an opportunity to study and explore complex relationships between the many agents and institutions that make up an innovation system. Early applications of the innovation systems framework to developing-country agriculture suggest opportunities for more intensive and extensive analysis.

This paper analyses these applications and suggests several ways of strengthening the mode of inquiry and quality of analysis. This paper will be of interest to science and technology policy analysts and policymakers in developing countries seeking to apply innovative concepts to agriculture.

This document's authors say the development of plant-derived vaccines is straightforward, and that their production could "easily and economically be established in developing countries".

Drawing on consultations with international experts, they examine the elements needed to realise the advantages of plant-derived vaccines for developing countries, emphasising the need for public–private collaboration.

An important requirement, they say, would be to effectively keep drug-producing transgenic plants out of the food supply. How the plant material is processed, packaged and stored is also important.

The document provides an overview of these and other issues, and will be useful to policy analysts, entrepreneurs and decision-makers exploring the potential of plant-derived vaccines.

In 2002, the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology held a conference bringing together representatives from the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and food industries, government regulators, scientists and public interest groups to consider the use of transgenic plants as cost-effective "biofactories" for producing pharmaceuticals.

Participants considered the possible risks posed to human and animal health and the environment, by the potential for cross-pollination between pharma crops and wild relatives or crops destined for food or feed. The conference also looked at the steps being taken by the biotechnology industry and US government regulators to control these risks, and discussed whether these are sufficient, both to address the risks and to secure public confidence.

Some insights were particularly relevant to developing countries. Whereas scientists once expected to see the development of pharma crops that could be consumed directly by people (e.g. "edible vaccines"), the need to ensure correct dosage and quality control means that some level of processing will be necessary. This, together with the need for rigorous regulation and effective segregation of pharma crops, will place high demands on technical capacities and regulatory agencies in developing countries.

This report outlines the conclusions and recommendations of an international expert working group. Representatives from the national academies of sciences in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, the UK, and the USA, and the Third World Academy of Sciences came together to consider GM technology in a global context, and its possible impacts on food security, public health and the environment.

The authors recognise a role for GM technology in the production of food that is more nutritious and stable in storage, and that might enable the delivery of specific health advantages to consumers. Such technologies, they argue, should be made freely available to farmers in developing countries.

The report calls for cooperative efforts between the public and private sectors to develop GM-derived technologies that will benefit consumers worldwide, and argues that governments should set up suitable public health regulatory systems to ensure that food derived from this technology is as safe as that derived from non-GM methods. In addition, the authors recommend a thorough investigation of any environmental impacts, both positive and negative, of the cultivation of GM crops as compared with conventional agriculture.

A balanced and informative report with a global perspective, with particular emphasis on the needs developing nations.