Chapter 5 Contributions of Public and Private R&D to Biotechnology Innovation

Wallace Huffman

A chapter in Genetically Modified Food and Global Welfare, 2011, pp 115-147 from Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Abstract: Purpose – The objective of this chapter is to examine and provide new perspectives on the contributions of public and private R&D to biotech crop improvement. Methodology/approach – The chapter examines a set of topics that have affected the way that research is undertaken on plant germplasm improvement and how it has changed with the genetically modified (GM) trait revolution. Findings – Although the basic science providing the foundations for GM crops was undertaken in the public sector, GM traits and GM crop varieties have been developed almost exclusively by the private sector. The biotech events leading to GM traits are currently being developed largely by five companies – all having ties to both the chemical and the seed industries. The GM crop revolution started in North American in 1996 and has spread slowly to the largest developing countries that have large agricultural sectors, including Argentina, China, Brazil, and India, but not to Europe or Japan. Practical implication – To shed new light on the economic reasons for private sector dominance in GM crop varietal development in selected crops but not in others. Social implication – Shows how GM traits have contributed to technical change and declining real food prices.

Keywords: Crop biotechnology; R&D; public; private; corn; soybean; cotton; genetic modification; funding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... 8715(2011)0000010010
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:fegzzz:s1574-8715(2011)0000010010

DOI: 10.1108/S1574-8715(2011)0000010010

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Frontiers of Economics and Globalization from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().