Description:Genetically-modified crops (GMO) are now approaching a half-century of existence. Much discussion has accompanied their development from “gene-splicing” to CRISPR/Cas9, and from early California releases to arguments of geo-political scale. But what has been the role of Latin America in these developments, and how have they affected the region? This talk will review through a Latin American perspective key events in the technical, ecological, political and cultural course of these events, with a view towards possible futures.
Ignacio Chapela is Associate Professor of Microbial Ecology at the University of California, Berkeley. He has been directly involved in the history of GMOs since the early 1980s through his work as a scientist, and through collaboration with indigenous communities in Latin America, with industry (Switzerland), as well as non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations.
Contact Email:
latinamerica@stanford.edu
Contact Phone:
(650) 725-0383
