Safe and effective development and commercialization of bio-engineered crops in developing countries

The project helps boost food security, economic growth, nutrition and environmental quality in East and West Africa, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Cornell University, ABSPII is a consortium of public and private sector institutions. The consortium develops innovative, pragmatic solutions, building on the successes of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) that was led for over a decade by Michigan State University.

Conduct highly-participatory priority setting activities to ensure that product development is focused on real needs;
Develop "Product Commercialization Packages" for each bio-engineered crop by geographical site, integrating activities on technology development, policy (including intellectual property), outreach and communication, and marketing and distribution;
Create an enabling environment for regulatory and legal authorities;
Foster public-private partnerships to boost mutual incentives and self-sustained, long-term investments;
Promote improved science-based public awareness of bio-engineered crops;
Monitor and evaluate the impact of ABSPII activities.

During the project, we expect:
Increased agricultural productivity in farmers fields;
Improved research and development capacities within collaborating institutions;
Increased understanding by scientists and policy-makers of markets, regulatory environments and commercialization requirements of bio-engineered crops;
Increased public awareness and understanding of bio-engineered crops that address public needs;
Enhanced environments for public-private partnerships in the areas of intellectual property licensing and regulatory approval.
In addition, the long-term goals of ABSPII are to:
Increase agricultural outputs among adopters of new products;
Improve nutrition due to the availability of more secure and varied food sources;
Expand rural economies due to both increased farm productivity and to improved market opportunities.

agricultural biotechnology