Robert L. Paarlberg 184 pages / 2001 $19.95 paperback / ISBN 0-8018-6823-8 $45.00 hardcover / ISBN 0-8018-6668-5 Pricing for U.S. only. Foreign pricing also available. Published for IFPRI and distributed by Johns Hopkins University Press.

• ABOUT THIS BOOK • WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK • ABOUT THE AUTHORS • DETAILED HIGHLIGHTS • ORDER THE BOOK

In this book Robert Paarlberg looks at the policy choices regarding GM food made by four important developing countries: Kenya, Brazil, India, and China. Of these, so far only China has approved the planting of GM crops. Paarlberg identifies five policy areas in which governments of developing countries can either support or discourage GM crops: intellectual property rights, biosafety, trade, food safety, and public research and investment. He notes that highly cautious biosafety policies have so far been the key reason that Kenya, Brazil, and India have hesitated to plant GM crops. These cautious policies have been strongly reinforced by international market forces and international diplomatic and NGO pressures. China has been less cautious toward GM crops, in part because there is less opportunity in China for international organizations or independent critics of GM crops to challenge official policy.

"This is the first major empirical study that sheds light on the policy dynamics influencing the adoption of biotechnology in developing countries. The analytical framework and the wealth of new information make it both original and substantive. In addition, the study is an honest and candid account of trends in developing countries. This is an important book that will inspire the practitioner, challenge the academic, satisfy the curious, and appease the bewildered."

-- Calestous Juma, Harvard University