Genetically modified crops and livestock could be lifesavers for developing countries saddled with burgeoning populations and poverty, said scientists, pharmaceutical executives and business executives at the International Chamber of Commerce meeting Tuesday.

Nearly one-third of the world's population resides in China and India, but those countries encompass only 7 percent of the  world's irrigable land, said Terry Medley, vice president of  global regulatory affairs for DuPont.

Crops engineered to resist insects, pesticides and disease, and seeds designed to produce more nutrient-rich harvests are  being more widely accepted as a way to health and economic growth  in developing countries, ICC participants said. Vaccine development for humans and animals is another key  focus among scientists and health officials in their efforts to  improve quality of life in the Third World.

Medley expressed concern that international and national regulation of biotechnology - both in human medicine and in agriculture - could hinder development of life-sustaining technologies if not planned carefully and if world leaders base decisions on emotion rather than science.

In Colorado, most agricultural research dealing with genetically modified plants and animals is done at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Hundreds of research projects aimed at increasing crop yields and improving the nutritional quality of food products are underway, including a partnership with Monsanto to genetically engineer herbicide-resistant wheat.

Genetically modified agricultural products are more widely accepted in developing nations than in Europe and parts of the United States because of the economic distress and desperate health needs of their people, said professor Jim Quick, head of  CSU's department of soil and crop science.

'There has been no evidence that genetically engineered crops are not safe,' Quick said.

Such technologies face widespread opposition from environmentalists and consumer advocates who say genetically modified foods could be unsafe for human consumption and could do irreparable damage if co-mingled with plants and animals in the wild.

But representatives of developing countries such as India and Kenya said they see bioengineered crops and livestock as crucial to increasing economic sustainability and fighting disease in the Third World.