Biofortified sorghum in Africa: using problem formulation to inform risk assessment

Abstract

Most of the genetically modified (GM) crops approved to date (eg, corn, cotton and soybean improved for insect resistance or herbicide tolerance) do not have compatible wild relatives near their intended area of cultivation, and those that do are not being cultivated in the center of diversity of the species. However, many GM crops being developed to solve agronomic or nutritional problems in developing countries may be grown near centers of origin and diversity of the crop, where these plants were first domesticated and remain major crops1. Furthermore, they are often being developed by publicly funded, nonprofit institutions2. Such developers, and the regulatory authorities that oversee them, often have relatively limited experience and resources for risk assessment and are faced with some of the first decisions regarding risks associated with gene flow in centers of diversity. Although the potential …