Last month, the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (PIFB) and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC) co-hosted Gene Flow: What Does It Mean for Biodiversity and Centers of Origin, a conference in Mexico City, Mexico.  The participants discussed many of the prevailing questions about the genetic diversity of maize and the potential impacts of genetically modified plants if introduced to centers of origin.

Proceedings from the conference will not be available until early 2004 but presentations provided by many of the speakers have been posted to the Pew Initiative website. Highlights include:

-           A presentation by Allison Snow, Professor of Biology at Ohio State University, clarifies what gene flow is and explores how the flow of genes from transgenics may have positive, neutral or negative impacts on the net fitness of plants.

-           A presentation by Dulce María Arias, the Director of the Center of Environmenal Educaion at Universidad Autonoma de Morelos, describes the current status of biodiversity among maize and teosinte (the wild relative of maize) plants, the variables impacting the biodiversity of each, and the interactions between these cultivated and native varieties.

-           A presentation by Flavio Aragón with Instituto Nacional - Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP) in Mexico explores the implications transgenic gene flow may have for biodiversity in Mexico.

-           A presentation by Víctor Villalobos with the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in Mexico, which provides an overview of the Mexican Biosafety Regulatory System and the potential advantages biotechnology may provide Mexican agriculture.

Presentations are available at http://pewagbiotech.org/events/0929/. Scroll down to the agenda and select the name of a particular speaker to see the speaker’s presentation.