Attended by 34 participants from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, USA and Vietnam, the workshop aimed to increase Southeast Asian farmers’ awareness of the challenges facing agricultural biotechnology, enhance farmers’ knowledge of policy issues, as well as facilitate sharing of experiences in using modern technology.

Resource persons provided an overview of agricultural biotechnology and global status of developments in crop biotechnology adoption and application. They also discussed market access of agri-biotech products, market acceptance of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods, and principles and techniques for effective biotechnology communication.

During the workshop, the participants shared their experiences in planting and marketing GM crops; visited farms planted with biotech crops, and R&D institutions like the University of the Philippines-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI); and discussed country case studies with regard to farmers’ networks such as the Asian Farmers Regional Network (ASFARNET).

This workshop was a follow up to the 2003 APEC Farmer Biotechnology Outreach Program where ASFARNET was established. ASFARNET is a regional network with national nodes which aims to promote and facilitate the exchange of information and experience on modern agricultural technologies (SEARCA BIC).