Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) II

Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) II is a USAID-funded program that is coordinated by Cornell University.


 * "USAID solicited applications for a follow-on [to ABSP I], US15 million ABSP II project in March 2002 that was awarded to a consortium led by Cornell University in late 2002."


 * "This assistance enables USAID to build upon a foundation of more than ten years of USAID experience in utilizing the tools of modern biotechnology to develop new crop varieties and livestock vaccines and in defining pathways for making these tools available to developing countries through both public and private sector avenues. The tools of biotechnology are used to address crop and livestock production constraints, to increase the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and to improve nutrition. ABSP II also addresses policy issues, particularly in intellectual property rights (IPR), at institutional and national levels. Communication and outreach activities on biotechnology are an integral part of this project.


 * "The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP II), a university-led Leader with Associate (LWA) cooperative agreement, funds technology development through public-private sector collaboration and builds scientific capacity among developing country researchers."

As of 2006, the account manager of ABSP II at USAID was Bhavani Pathak.

Funding
According to a 2006 USAID document, ABSP II was funded by USAID up to $15,284,000.

Projects
Projects ABSP II partners are working on as of 2012 include:
 * Bt eggplant in India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines
 * A disease resistant GE East African Highland (EAH) Banana in Uganda. The banana will resist Black Sigatoka, Fusarium Wilt, Bacterial Wilt, and Nematodes.
 * Papaya Ringspot Virus Resistant (PRSVR) Papaya in the Philippines.
 * Late Blight Resistant Potato in India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
 * Drought and Salinity Tolerant (DST) Rice in India and Bangladesh.

However, as of 2012, funding has been discontinued for:
 * Multiple Virus Resistant Tomato in Indonesia, Philippines
 * Tomato Virus Resistance for West Africa in Mali
 * Tobacco Streak Virus Resistant Groundnut in India

Previously, the ABSP website also said it was working on Roundup-Ready, Bt Cotton in Uganda.

Training on Commercialization of GMOs
One activity of ABSP II is training "collaborators" around the world on commercializing GMOs. One such workshop focusing on commercialization of biotechnology crops in Asia took place from June 19-23, 2006 in the Philippines. "The workshop aimed to provide in-depth information on the commercialization process of biotech crops from lab to field." ABSP II collaborators Drs. Josefina Narciso, from the Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines Los Baños; Saptowo J. Pardal from ICABIOGRAD in Indonesia; and Karnan of Sathguru Management Consultant in India attended the workshop along with participants from 30 others from around the world. The training was organized by facilitated by Dr. Andrew D. Powell, CEO of Asia BioBusiness and Prof. Paul Teng of the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, both in Singapore, and organized their organizations along with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).


 * "Using a combination of lectures, case studies, exercises, and field visits, the workshop discussed topics such as: requirements for the commercialization of biotech crops; regulatory process of Philippines and India; requirements and the importance of regulatory compliance; the Philippine experience on the commercialization of biotech crop i.e. Bt corn MON 810, and soon to be commercialized crops, PRSV papaya and FSBR eggplant; risk communication; and the different IP [intellectual property] and licensing agreement involved in the commercialization of biotech crops."

Training on Environmental Biosafety Issues
Another area of training is on "environmental biosafety issues" associated with GMOs. One such course was held at Michigan State University from July 30-August 4, 2006. Researchers from ABSP II partners in Southeast Asia and Africa attended the course. Attendees included Lourdes Taylo and Filomena Sta Cruz (Philippines), Sri Hensdrastuti Hidyat (Indonesia), Eric Danquah and Samuel Timpo (Ghana), Andrew Kiggundu, Geofrey Arinaitwe and Barbara Zawedde (Uganda).


 * "The course provided an introduction to environmental safety issues associated with transgenic crops; case studies of environmental safety, overview of international treaties, and regulations on biosafety; as well as strategies for capacity building and regional/ international cooperation in biosafety. This enabled participants to appreciate the important role of scientists involved in the development of biotech crops, particularly in identifying the important regulatory issues in biosafety that need to be addressed before and during the conduct of contained/confined field trials as well as associated risk communication strategies.


 * "Faculty from MSU, West Michigan University and University of Guelph along with experts from the US Department of Agriculture shared information and facilitated the trainees identification of possible risks and the corresponding management solutions. A dialogue with farmers about their experiences in growing biotech soybean and corn provided an end-user perspective of using biotech crops."

Consortium Partners
"Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences International Programs, ABSPII is implemented by a consortium of public and private institutions."

US Public Institutions

 * American University of Beirut
 * Cornell Research Foundation (CRF)
 * Cornell University: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
 * Michigan State University
 * Ohio State University
 * Pennsylvania State University
 * Tuskegee University
 * University of California, Berkeley
 * University of California, Davis
 * University of Minnesota
 * University of Wisconsin (UW) - Biotechnology Center
 * Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech)

National and Regional Partners

 * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee on Science and Technology Sub-Committee on Biotechnology
 * Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA)
 * Bangladesh Agricultural Research Center (BARC)
 * Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)
 * Department of Agriculture - Policy, Planning and Research; Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR); Biotechnology Project Implementation Unit (DA Biotech-PIU), Philippines
 * Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD)
 * Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
 * Institut d'Economie Rural (IER)
 * Institut du Sahel (INSAH)
 * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
 * Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
 * Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)
 * Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)
 * National Agricultural Research Organization (Uganda) (NARO)
 * National Bureau of Plant Genetic Research (NPBGR), India
 * Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)
 * Program for Biosafety (PBS)
 * Research Institute for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources, Indonesia
 * Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), India
 * University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (UAS-D), India
 * University of Cape Town, South Africa
 * University of Leeds, UK
 * University of Tsukuba, Japan
 * United Nations University/Institute of Advanced Studies
 * University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB)- Chancellor’s Office and Institute of Plant Breeding
 * Western and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF)

Private Sector Entities

 * Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) - Department of Biotechnology
 * Alpha Seed (South Africa)
 * Asia Pacific Seed Association (APSA)
 * Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)
 * Bogor Agricultural University (BAU), Indonesia
 * Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), India
 * Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), India
 * Crop Technology Consulting, Inc. (CTC)
 * Crops Research Insitute (CRI), Ghana
 * Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India
 * Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI)
 * Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), India
 * Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi
 * Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD)
 * Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research and Development (ICABIOGRAD)
 * Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute (IVEGRI)
 * Institut d'Economie Rurale (IER), Mali
 * Institut d'Etudes Environnementales et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso
 * Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Benin (INRAB)
 * Institut National de Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN)
 * Institut Togolais de Recherche Agricole (ITRA), Togo
 * Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (MAHYCO) (India) - a subsidiary of Monsanto
 * Monsanto
 * Nunhems Seeds (Bayer)
 * Sathguru Management Consultants (SMS) (India)
 * Seminis Seeds (owned by Monsanto)

CGIAR Center and Other International Institutions

 * International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), India
 * International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
 * International Food Policy Research Institute
 * International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
 * International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)
 * International Potato Late Blight Testing Program (PICTIPAPA), Mexico
 * International Potato Research Center (CIP), Peru
 * International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
 * International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
 * World Vegetable Center (AVRDC)

NGOs and Foundations

 * American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
 * African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
 * A Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI)
 * Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI)
 * Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
 * McKnight Foundation Collaborative Crops Research Program

Networks

 * SciDevNet

Management Team and Advisors

 * Director: Frank A. Shotkoski
 * Co-Director: Ronnie Coffman
 * Associate Director: K. V. Raman
 * Financial Manager: Tammy Thomas
 * Project Administrator: Miguelina Tabar
 * Project Advisor: Peter Gregory
 * Communication and Outreach Coordinator: Andrea Besley
 * South Asia Regional Coordinator: K. Vijayaraghavan
 * Bangladesh Country Coordinator: G.P. Das
 * Southeast Asia Regional Coordinator: Desiree Hautea
 * India Country Coordinator: Akshat Medakker
 * East Africa Regional Coordinator: Tilahun Zeweldu
 * Cornell Advisor: Robert Herdt

Contact Information

 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II
 * International Programs
 * 213 Rice Hall
 * Cornell University
 * Ithaca, New York 14853
 * USA
 * Ph: 607-255-6357
 * Fax: 607-255-8186
 * Email: absp2@cornell.edu
 * Web: http://www.absp2.cornell.edu/

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * U.S. Agency for International Development
 * USAID Promotion of Agricultural Biotechnology
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) I
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) II
 * Bt Eggplant
 * Bt Potato
 * Late Blight Resistant Potato
 * Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS)
 * U.S. State Department Promotion of Agricultural Biotechnology
 * U.S. Department of State Biotechnology Outreach Funds
 * GMO Policies by Country

External Resources

 * The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), ISAAA.
 * "The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSPII) Product Summaries," June 2012.
 * The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSPII) and Product-Driven Capacity Building for Emerging Markets, June 5, 2012.
 * The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSPII) and Product-Driven Capacity Building for Emerging Markets (Event Resources), June 5, 2012.
 * Webinar Recording: Vijayaraghavan, June 5, 2012.
 * Vijay Vijayaraghavan, "Successful Public-Private Partnerships in Agricultural Biotechnology Research and Product Development," June 5, 2012.
 * Frank A. Shotkoski, "Project Overview: The Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSPII) and Product-Driven Capacity Building in Emerging Markets," June 5, 2012.
 * W. Tushemereiwe, Uganda's GE Banana Program, June 5, 2012.
 * "Lessons learned in communication: The challenges of communicating about agricultural biotechnology and the importance of public outreach," ISAAA, June 5, 2012.
 * Saharah Moon Chapotin, "Building and strengthening functional biosafety regulatory frameworks," June 5, 2012.
 * Desiree Hautea, "Bt Eggplant for South and Southeast Asia: Potential Socioeconomic Benefits," June 5, 2012.

External Articles

 * Newsletter of the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II, Vol. II, No. 4, October 2006.
 * "USAID: Making the world hungry for GM crops," GRAIN, April 25, 2005.
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Program, PowerBase.
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Program, LobbyWatch.org.