Asian countries have shown tremendous increase in crop productivity as agricultural biotechnology serves as one of the significant tools in spurring economic growth, and enhancing environmental and social benefits. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported that most of the biotech/GM crops, encompassing the second decade of its commercialization, are being developed and expected to be marketed in the Asian region. The initiatives in capacity building and in communicating and exchanging knowledge on agricultural biotechnology are credited for its unprecedented adoption from North to South.

However, the experiences and lessons learned in biotechnology research and development both in public and private sectors have largely remained undocumented. A substantive amount of the tacit knowledge remains in the minds of managers, developers and practitioners. In this era of the knowledge economy, proactive knowledge management (KM) has become essential to keep in step with the challenges in food security and safety in today’s rapidly changing world. Thus, recognizing the aspect of KM in agricultural biotechnology in addressing sustainability and dealing with major challenges in Asia, SEARCA, together with partners, organized an international conference that aimed towards regional collaboration on knowledge management in agri-biotechnology in Bangkok, Thailand, on 1 – 2 October 2009.

The two-day conference titled, International Conference on Knowledge Management (KM) in Agricultural Biotechnology: The Asian Experience, convened 87 participants comprised of policy makers, technology and R&D managers in agriculture and natural resource management; development planners, researchers, program officers; and extension, communication and knowledge managers/officers from 13 countries namely, Australia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the USA.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr., cited the pivotal role of agricultural biotechnology in improving food quality and contributing to food security worldwide. “SEARCA has, over the years, also considered agricultural biotechnology, along with food safety, as an important area that aligns well with its twin emphases on agricultural competitiveness and natural resource management,” he said. Dr. Saguiguit noted that contributions and impacts of agri-biotechnology are dovetailed with information and communication strategies that resulted with multitude of knowledge and intellectual capital among Asian countries. These countries with knowledge-based economies need a proactive knowledge management in pushing agri-biotechnology further in advancing agriculture and rural development.

On the other hand, Dr. Thira Sutabutra, chairman of Thailand‘s National Research Council, stressed in his keynote message the importance of knowledge management as it streamlines efforts to enhance knowledge sharing among countries. KM initiatives applied should incorporate in several modalities such as capacity building through social learning and field application; networking and peer mentoring; workshops for reflection and synthesis; and development and publication of knowledge and learning materials in various formats.

The conference evolved in four thematic presentations namely: 1) Agricultural Biotechnology and Knowledge Management: presentations on the role of agri-biotech in mitigating agricultural challenges in Asia and its implications for KM, the global scenario of biotech/GM crops adoption, and the mobilization on knowledge for bioenterprise were discussed; 2) KM Platforms on Biosafety Governing Agri-biotechnology: country experiences on biosafety framework and regulations, and KM platforms in biosafety in the context of Southeast Asia were shared by key presenters; 3) Capacity-building for KM: country experiences in building capacities on KM in agri-biotech and collaborative KM initiatives on biotechnology were tackled; and 4) KM and Networking: diverse experiences on knowledge sharing and exchange, North-South and South-South partnerships, networking, and communication initiatives on agri-biotechnology were shared.

Furthermore, a workshop was conducted in which participants were divided into small groups and discussed relevant components of a regional collaborative initiative on KM in agri-biotechnology. The participants of the workshop concurred that knowledge management interventions should be taken into account to leverage innovation and productivity. Agricultural challenges on food security, environmental sustainability, climate change and energy security need to be addressed with crop biotechnology as a possible option. Participants affirmed that Asian countries thus need to utilize biological knowledge to greater productive value and identify gaps in the process chain, from product development to utilization.

The conference was organized by SEARCA in partnership with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSP II), the Program for Biosafety Systems – Southeast Asia (PBS SEAsia), Center of Excellence for Agricultural Biotechnology (CAB) and Biosafety and Biotechnology Information Center (BBIC) of Kasetsart University. Likewise, it was also supported by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Asia Bio Business Ltd (ABB), National Taiwan University (NTU), Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for Asia and the Pacific (FFTC), Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) Australia, CropLife Asia (CLA), and the Office of the Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

(Jenny A. Panopio and Rochella B. Lapitan, SEARCA BIC).