Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis paper analyses the roles of three supranational organizations (SNOs), the African Union (AU), New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), in the development of cross‐national policy, regulatory and administrative systems for managing modern biotechnology, also referred to as biosafety systems, in southern Africa. The desire for convergence of these systems is not an uncontested issue. Therefore in seeking to understand the feasibility of this policy agenda, this paper traces how the three SNOs are contributing towards coalescence of the many contending issues. One of the major arguments presented by the paper is that the policy footprint of the SNOs has varying intensity across the biosafety terrain of the region, leaving one wondering whether this is by design or by accident, and what impact this has on the countries that see the SNOs as rallying points for regional aspirations.

AbstractThe quest for effective mechanisms to regulate modern biotechnology has elicited policy responses at various levels the world over, with the main multilateral framework being the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa are at various levels towards developing and implementing domestic frameworks that comply with this Protocol. In addition, several efforts have been made towards regional cooperation in biosafety. After tracing the motivations and imperatives behind these efforts, the challenges and successes met, this paper proposes anchoring the regional cooperation agenda on food security if a consistent and unifying cross‐national biotechnology governance framework is to emerge. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractGrounded in research carried out by researchers investigating different aspects of technological and institutional innovation in agriculture in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), this special issue seeks to make a contribution to empirical evidence and literature on agricultural innovation globally. The contributors explore the relationship between technology, policy and public engagement approaches and wider concepts of technology development and governance, and collectively argue for a broadened perspective on innovation towards generating new ways of thinking that can ultimately improve upon existing practices in the quest for sustainable solutions to food insecurity. Overall, this is not a negative story. Instead of the now common despair about the abilities of Africa to meet it is own food‐security requirements, this issue presents articles which demonstrate how much is already in place, with reflections and suggestions on how such resources can be made to work together for the greater socio‐economic good of the continent Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.