Modern biotechnology can enhance agricultural productivity in developing countries in a way that further reduces poverty, improves food security and nutrition and promotes sustainable use of natural resources. But such benefits from biotechnology require policy action on a number of fronts. The small farmer in developing countries faces a variety of problems and constraints. Crop losses due to insects, diseases, weeds and drought threaten income and food availability. Acid soils, low soil fertility and lack of access to reasonably priced plant nutrients, and other biotic and abiotic factors also contribute to low yields. Poor infrastructure and dysfunctional markets for inputs and outputs, along with lack of access to credit and technical assistance, add to the problems plaguing the small farmer. Solutions to these problems will benefit both farmers and consumers. Although modern biotechnology cannot solve all these problems, it can provide a critical component to the solution if it is guided by appropriate policies. Four sets of policies are particularly important. Each of these is briefly discussed in this chapter.
