site-logo

Agricultural Biotechnology Seminar Series 2022 – Seminar 3: Outreach to Enhance Public Awareness and Confidence on Agricultural Biotechnology

    August 5, 2022
    8:30 am - 11:15 am
    Virtual (Time in GMT+7)
    Hanoi, Viet Nam

Part of the Agricultural Biotechnology Seminar Series, this virtual seminar was a one-day event led by experts that facilitated the delivery of presentations on the development of agricultural biotechnology and efforts to communicate with the public about varieties developed using agricultural biotechnology. The workshop was organized by the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute (AFSI), with Viet Nam as the sponsoring economy and host of the event, and Thailand and Canada as co-sponsors.

Agricultural Biotechnology Seminar Series

This project brought together scientists, regulators, and policy makers to discuss and improve the understanding of how outreach can enhance public awareness on agricultural biotechnology, as well as how outreach can increase acceptance of products of agricultural biotechnology. The project’s objectives were:

  1. Create foundational knowledge of the status of agricultural biotechnology globally and in Viet Nam.
  2. Create knowledge of factors shaping public perception of agricultural biotechnology and effective communication.
  3. Share knowledge on the development of gene editing regulation world wide.
  4. Learn about development and outreach surrounding biotech crops.

Agenda

8:30 am

Technical Introduction

Dr. Rachel Melnick
Senior Manager – Scientific Programs, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, USA

8:35 am

Welcoming Remarks

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Viet Nam

8:45 am

Global Status of Agricultural Biotechnology

Dr. Rhodora Romero-Aldemita
Executive Director, ISAAA SEAsia Center and Director, ISAAA-BioTrust Global Knowledge Center on Biotechnology, Philippines

9:00 am

Biotech Crops in Vietnam: Outlook and Public Awareness

Prof. Dr. Pham Van Toan
Secretariat, GM Food and Feed Committee and Vice President, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Science, Viet Nam

9:15 am

Factors Shaping Public Perception of Agricultural Biotechnology & Effective Communication

Dr. Naoko Kato-Nitta
Associate Professor, Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research / The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Japan

9:30 am

Global Regulation of Genome Edited Plants

Dr. Peter Thygesen
Principal Regulatory Scientist, Office of the Gene Technology Regulator and Chair of Working Party on Harmonization of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology (OECD HROB), Australia

9:45 am

Tea Break

10:00 am

Panel Discussion: Outlook and Outreach on Agricultural Biotechnology

Dr. Rachel Melnick (moderator)
Senior Manager – Scientific Programs, Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, USA

Stakeholder Engagement
Dr. Sarah Evanega 
Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Pairwise, USA

Gene-Edited GABA Tomatoes
Dr. Hiroshi Ezura 
Professor, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Tsukuba, Japan

Golden Rice
Dr. Ronan Zagado
Healthier Rice Programme Lead, PhilRice

11:00 am

Closing Remarks

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy
Director General, Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Vietnam

 *AFSI is supported by a grant from the USDA FAS New Technologies and Production Methods Division.

Discover Related Events