Agricultural Biotechnology in China: Origins and Prospects

Over the last thirty years, China has developed one of the world’s largest public research programs in agricultural biotechnology. Building on a long tradition of agricultural advances, Chinese scientists have applied biotechnology techniques to develop hundreds of novel crop varieties suited to local farming conditions and challenges. This book is a comprehensive examination of how the origins of biotechnology research agendas, along with the effectiveness of the seed delivery system and biosafety oversight, help to explain current patterns of crop development and adoption in China. Based on firsthand insights from China’s laboratories and farms, the authors explore the implications of China’s investment for the nation’s rural development, environmental footprint, as well as its global scientific and economic competitiveness. This book will shortly be translated into Chinese and will soon be available in the Chinese market.

Valerie J. Karplus graduated from Yale University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Political Science. She lived in China for two years, where she researched the development and impact of agricultural biotechnology in China while based at the China Agricultural University (2002-2003) and National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (2005-2006). Currently she is pursuing graduate study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Xing Wang Deng is the Daniel C. Eaton Professor of Plant Biology at Yale University. His scientific work focuses on the molecular and genomic basis for plant development and agricultural biotechnology. He also serves as the co-director of the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing and the founding director of the Peking-Yale Joint Research Center of Plant Molecular Genetics and Agro-biotechnology. He has led a research team that has published well over a hundred peer-reviewed articles in his area of research.