Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries conference

Takes place in Guadalajara, Mexico on 1-4 March 2010. ABDC-10 is hosted by the Government of Mexico and co-sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the World Bank are major partners in this initiative.

Impetus for the conference comes from the need for concrete steps to be taken to move beyond the “business-as-usual” approach and to respond to the growing food insecurity in developing countries, particularly in light of climate change that will worsen the living conditions of farmers, fishers and forest-dependent people who are already vulnerable and food insecure. The recent increases in food prices have had dramatic consequences globally. FAO’s recent major report on "The State of Food Insecurity in the World" indicates that in 2007, mainly because of rising food prices, the number of hungry people in the world increased by 75 million. Although international prices have now declined somewhat, the problems of food insecurity and hunger remain and the challenges they pose are particularly difficult for the rural poor, who make up an estimated 75 percent of the worlds 963 million hungry people.

Agriculture, which includes the production of crops, livestock, fish and forestry products, has a direct impact on the rural economy and therefore investment in agriculture is vital and must be at the heart of any strategy for the alleviation of hunger and poverty. While the measures needed extend well beyond the issue of producing more food and agricultural products, boosting productivity of smallholders’ farms through appropriate application of good practices and improved technologies must be a key ingredient of developing countries’ development policies. It is in this context that FAO is organizing this international conference that encompasses the crop, forestry, livestock, fishery and agro-industry sectors, as well as the entire range of agricultural biotechnologies currently available.

Participation at the conference is by invitation only. Participants at the conference will be from delegations of Member States of FAO; from the United Nations and its specialized agencies; other intergovernmental organizations; international non-governmental organizations and international civil society organizations; the conference Steering Committee as well as invited speakers and panelists at the conference. The conference was originally planned for 2-5 November 2009. The change in dates was decided due to logistical reasons beyond the control of FAO and the Government of Mexico.