| 2006 |
| Stakeholders learn risk communication in biotechnology September 2006 For four days, policymakers, scientists, academe, information officers, industry, media and community leaders learned and practiced the science and art of risk communication. Communication principles and skills were taught. Of particular importance was the need to pay attention to non-verbal communication cues. The 44 participants who come from Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam shared their country experiences in biotechnology communication. Also, they discussed various issues on crop biotechnology and developed messages that would help towards better understanding of these concerns. The aim is to contribute towards informed decision making regarding adoption of biotechnology. The workshop was complemented by interactive visits to a farm that grow Bt corn, Round-up Ready corn and stacked corn (Bt/RR corn) at Pililia, Rizal; contained experiments on Bt-eggplant and papaya ringspot virus-resistant papaya at the Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines Los Banos (IPB-UPLB); and briefings on golden rice project at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The Biotech Issues and Communication Workshop: Enhancing Communication Skills on Biotechnology was held from September 4-7, 2006 in Makati City, Philippines. It was organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) and SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center with support from the U.S. Grains Council. (Sonny P. Tababa, SEARCA BIC). |
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