This is a collaborative project (see collaborating organizations
above) designed to assess the agricultural and ecological impacts
of introducing GM crops and to build capacity in the field of risk
assessment/risk analysis. It is funded by the Danida Programme on
Enhancement of Research Capacity (ENRECA). Phase 1 of the project
started in December 2004 and will last three years.
The project has three components: 1) Training Activities; 2)
Biosafety Training Laboratory; 3) Research on Biosafety of GM
crops. For more details, see 'National Level Activities'
below.
National level activities
*Training Activities:
Human resources development:
(1) MSc and PhD-level educational training on agricultural and
environmental impacts of GM plants, through joint African-Danish
supervision at the local universities/research institutes.
Currently 4 PhD and 6 MSc students are working on their Theses in
the 3 partner countries.
(2) Specialist biosafety courses have been developed and held in
Kenya. The second course is to takeplace in July 2007 in
Tanzania.
Institutional strengthening:
A GM Biosafety Level 2 glasshouse is under construction at KARI,
Kenya, a Gm detection training laboratory at the University of
Nairobi, Kenya; an Arthropod Biosafety and quarantine Laboratory
was developed in Uganda, and a training lab + Gm glasshouse is
under construction at the Univ. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
*Research on Biosafety of GM crops:
Of the ongoing projects, 3 are in entomology, 3 in weed science, 3
in gene flow/population genetics, and one in soil science. The
crops involved are maize, cotton, and rice.
International level activities
Strengthening north-south and South-South co-operation:
The training material was developed in co-operation with the
Swiss-funded GMO-ERA Project,and in collaboration with The BioSeg
project, implemented by Embrapa, Brazil.
International Guidance:
We held the training course in Niamey, Niger, at the invitation of
AGRHYMET, in November 2006. BiosafeTrain is co-organising the
Second Meeting of Academic Institutions involved in Biosafety
Training, Malaysia, April 2007.
Publications:
Andow, D.A., Lövei G.L. & Arpaia S. 23006. Bt transgenic
crops, natural enemies and implications for environmental risk
assessment. Nature Biotechnology 24, 749-751.
Andow DA, Birch NE, Dusi A, Fontes E, Hilbeck A, Lang A, Lövei GL,
Pires C, Sujii E, Underwood E, Wheatley RA 2006. Non-target and
biodiversity ecological risk assessment for GM crops. Proceedings
of 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically
Modified Organisms (ISBR), September 24-29 2006, Jeju Island,
Korea, pp 68-73.
Lövei, GL. 2006. Biological control as an ecosystem service and its
relevance to GMO biosafety testing. In: Hansen, LS, Enkegaard, A,
Steenberg, T, Ravnskov, S., Larsen, J. (Eds) Implementation of
biocontrol practice in temperate regions - present and near future.
Danish Inst Agricultural Sciences Report Series 119, 37-42.
Andow, D. A., Arpaia, S., Fontes, E. M. G., Hilbeck, A., Lövei, G.
L., Nelson, K. C., Treon, A., Underwood, E. (in press)
International Project on GMO Environmental Risk Assessment
Methodologies (GMO ERA Project). Environmental Biosafety Research
Topping, C.J., Lövei, G.L. 2006. The potential for landscape-scale
ecological impact assessment of GMO crops using agent-based
modeling. Proceedings of the NJF seminar No. 379, Aspects of
Growing Transgenic Crops.B.Boelt (Ed), pp. 40-42.
Book chapters:
Hilbeck A, Andow DA, Arpaia S, Birch ANE, Fontes EMG, Lövei GL,
Sujii E, Wheatley R, Underwood E. 2006.Non-target and Biodiversity
Risk Assessment Methodology Ch 5 in: Hilbeck, A., Andow, D.A.,
Fontes, E. (Eds.) Environmental Risk Assessment of Transgenic
Organisms: A Case Study of Bt cotton in Brazil. CABI International,
Wallingsford. U.K. Pp. 115-132.
Sujii ER, Lövei GL, Sétamou M, Silvie P, Fernandes MG, Dubois GSJ,
Almeida RP 2006. Non-target and biodiversity impacts: non-target
herbivorous pests. Ch 6 in: Hilbeck, A., Andow, D.A., Fontes, E.
(Eds.) Environmental Risk Assessment of Transgenic Organisms: A
Case Study of Bt cotton in Brazil. CABI International,
Wallingsford. U.K. Pp. 136-154.
Other source of funding
The project is funded by the Danish Agency for International
Development (Danida)
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