Agricultural Biodiversity and Biotechnology in Economic Development

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Overview and Key Issues

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Intoduction~ Agricultural Biodiversity and Biotechnology:

      • Joseph C. Cooper, Leslie Lipper, David Zilberman

      Pages 3-13

   3. Major Processes Shaping the Evolution of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Biodiversity

      • David Zilberman, Leslie Lipper

      Pages 15-37

   4. Private Research and Public Goods: Implications of Biotechnology for Biodiversity

      • Terri Raney, Prabhu Pingali

      Pages 39-59

3. Genetic Resources and Biodiversity: Economic Valuation and Conservation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 61-61

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   2. The Economic Value of Genetic Diversity for Crop Improvement: Theory and Application

      • R. David Simpson

      Pages 63-78

   3. Managing Crop Biological Diversity on Farms

      • Melinda Smale

      Pages 79-101

   4. In Situ Conservation: Methods and Costs

      • Detlef Virchow

      Pages 103-125

   5. Understanding the Factors Driving on Farm Crop Genetic Diversity: Empirical Evidence from Mexico

      • Eric Van Dusen

      Pages 127-145

   6. Costs of Conservation: National and International Roles

      • Detlef Virchow

      Pages 147-174

4. Distributional Issues in the Management of Plant Genetic Resources

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 175-175

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   2. The Sharing of Benefits from the Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

      • Joseph C. Cooper

      Pages 177-195

   3. Economic Criteria for the Multilateral Distribution of Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Funds

      • Joseph C. Cooper

      Pages 197-214

   4. Modeling the impacts of Bargaining Power in the Multilateral Distribution of Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Funds

      • Frederic Chantreuil, Joseph C. Cooper

      Pages 215-231

5. Biotechnology: Concepts, Values, and Management

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 233-233

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   2. Agricultural Biotechnology: Concepts, Evolution, and Applications

      • Maria José O. de Zimmermann, Enrico Porceddu

      Pages 235-250

   3. The Potential of Biotechnology to Promote Agricultural Development and Food Security

      • Hoan T. Le

      Pages 251-281

   4. Impact of Biotechnology on Crop Genetic Diversity

      • Matin Qaim, Cherisa Yarkin, David Zilberman

      Pages 283-307

   5. Establishing Effective Intellectual Property Rights And Reducing Barriers To Entry In Canadian Agricultural Biotechnology Research

      • Derek Stovin, Peter W. B. Phillips

      Pages 309-328

The topics addressed in this book are of vital importance to the survival of humankind. Agricultural biodiversity, encompassing genetic diversity as well as human knowledge, is the base upon which agricultural production has been built, and protecting this resource is critical to ensuring the capacity of current and future generations to adapt to unforeseen challenges. Agricultural biodiversity underpins the productivity of all agricultural systems and is particularly important for poor and food-insecure farmers, who maintain highly diverse production systems in response to the marginal and risky production conditions they operate under. Understanding the importance of agricultural biodiversity in the livelihoods of the food insecure and enhancing its performance through the use of a variety of tools, including biotechnology, is a critically important issue in the world today, where over 800 million people have insufficient food to meet minimum needs. A strong theme that runs throughout the book is the importance of good public policy interventions to promote the provision of public goods associated with agricultural biodiversity conservation and directing biotechnology development to meet the needs of the poor. The book's primary innovation is that it describes the relationship between biotechnology and plant genetic diversity and puts these in the context of agricultural development. Both the conservation of plant genetic diversity and agricultural biotechnology have received extensive examination, but the linkages between the two have not, despite the apparently obvious relationship between the two.

• Conservation
• agriculture
• biodiversity
• biological
• biotechnology
• developing countries
• development
• economic development
• poverty
• public goods

Policies and ethics