This book provides the technical background and a historical perspective of biotechnology. It examines scientific questions on the assessment of risk for the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment and describes the role of individuals to foster industrial growth.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hosted an Expert Consultation on "Genetically Modified Organisms in Crop Production and Their Effects on the Environment: Methodologies for Monitoring and the Way Ahead" from 18 to 20 January in Rome. The main objective of the consultation was to review the scientific basis for, and procedures to establish, effective post-release monitoring of genetically modified (GM) crops and develop guidelines to strengthen member countries' capacities to design and carry out monitoring programmes. The consultation was a follow-up to the earlier FAO Expert Consultation on "Environmental Effects of Genetically Modified Crops", which had recommended the environmental effects of GM crops be assessed on a case-by-case basis and emphasized the need to monitor possible medium- to long-term environmental impacts. The main outputs of the meeting were: a review of the scientific criteria and procedures; strategies that could form the basis of efficient monitoring programmes; recommendations for both scientists managing the monitoring process and policy makers.

The advent of new methods in shaping the performance characteristics of plants, animals, and microbes dramatically expands the possibilities for advances in agriculture -- a new "Green Revolution" in the offing. This book examines the impact of such developments on agricultural institutions, agribusiness, and farmers: What happens when a fundamenta