The paper outlines opportunities for pro-poor nanotechnology development and discusses key challenges in advancing research, development and deployment of such technologies for the benefit of poor farmers in developing countries.
February 2011: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), has released a paper assessing opportunities and challenges for mobilizing nanotechnologies for agriculture, food and water for the benefit of poor farmers in developing countries.
The paper briefly outlines institutions involved in nanotechnology development, followed by an overview of the most relevant technologies in the fields of agricultural production, food safety, and nutrition and water safety. Key challenges for nanotechnology research and development for the poor include: generating investment in research and development; barriers to access to nanotechnologies such as intellectual property rights and supply and demand constraints; and risks and regulatory issues, including risks to the environment and human health, risk perception and consumer market acceptance.
On environmental and health risks, the paper says while nanomaterials are not inherently risky, their use may have intrinsic risks for human use and consumption and/or for the environment. Such risks could be similar to the risks of conventional fertilizers and herbicides, and they could be identified and managed with existing regulations and procedures for risk assessment and risk management. Risks of nanotechnologies for food safety and nutrition and water safety are limited by their use patterns and design. The paper discusses several specific risks and how these could be mitigated.
On regulation, the authors note there could be similar divergence in approaches to nanotechnology as has been observed with regard to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), despite the differences in risk profile between the two types of technologies. The paper concludes with an assessment of the potential role of the CGIAR in advancing the pro-poor nanotechnology research agenda. [Publication: Agricultural, Food, and Water Nanotechnologies for the Poor: Opportunities, Constraints, and Role of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research] [Publication: IFPRI Policy Brief 19, June 2011]