ACIAR: Partnerships and Investment in Agri-biotechnology in Asia-Pacific by Andrew Alford

1. ACIAR: Partnerships and Investment in
Agri-biotechnology in Asia-Pacific
Andrew Alford – Research Program Manager, Impact Evaluation

2. ACIAR’s strategic objectives and investments (R4D)
Strategic objectives / themes:
• Food security and poverty reduction
• Natural Resources Management and Climate Change
• Human Health and Nutrition
• Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment
• Inclusive Value Chains
• Capacity Building
2016-17 ACIAR managed
o A$78 million worth of bilateral projects
o A$20 million multilateral research programs (including CGIAR network)
o A$7.5 million targeting research capacity within partner countries

3. ACIAR is a partnership broker
Commissioning international partnerships that are:
• productive and long term research collaborations
• responsive to partner country priorities.
Successful partnerships principles:
• Strong people to people linkages
• Trust
• Transparency
• Mutual benefit

4. Challenges: Food production, malnutrition and
climate change
Transformational changes needed in food production systems, agricultural
value chains and to address postharvest loss and wastage.
Research will need to embrace a wide range of ‘blue sky’ and on-farm
adaptation options and value chains.
Biotechnology will continue to make a substantial contribution to addressing
these challenges.

5. ACIAR and biotechnologies
ACIAR recognises appropriate use of biotechnologies (including genetic
engineering) as tools for improved global food security and reducing the
environmental footprint
ACIAR has established a biotechnology policy (ACIAR 2014), it addresses:
• request of partner country
• consultations or agreed priorities of the partner country and agreements to
collaborate,
• approval of by government policymakers, regulatory authorities and research
partners.
• biosafety, regulatory and enforcement systems for the use of the genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in keeping with laws and regulations in Australia and the partner
countries

6. Ag research for development partnerships
incorporating biotechnologies
Partnerships necessary to access specialised biotechnologies
• capacities and intellectual property frequently resides in a limited
number of research institutes and private sector
• requires substantial investment in capital equipment and skills
• challenge for some jurisdictions
Biotechnology derived technologies are not a ‘silver bullet’

7. Ag research for development partnerships
incorporating biotechnologies (cont’d)
Research projects and therefore partnerships must be anchored in a
project/program that delivers impact for smallholders and
communities
Requires that smallholders can access:
• the technology and complementary inputs, credit
• markets
• Knowledge
Resulting technologies meet smallholders and consumers needs
and expectations
To achieve this research partnerships have to link with various
partners /stakeholders

8. An Australian example of biotechnologies from long
term partnerships: cotton varieties
30 years of cotton breeding and 100 varieties underpinning a $2.5 billion industry
8
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9. Partnerships
• Researchers
• Private industry
• Government
• Extension providers
• Farmers & communities

10. Grouper aquaculture - Vietnam, Philippines and
Australia
• Biotechnology applications:
• recombinant giant grouper follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing
hormone
• genome sequencing of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) and genetic markers
for resistance
• Closing the life cycle of the giant grouper in captivity and
managing the brood stock and larval rearing in a sustainable and
profitable manner
• Seed production by smaller surrogate broodstock will enable
many more fish farmers to hold and manage the smaller
broodstock

11. Grouper aquaculture - Vietnam, Philippines and Australia
• Partners:
• NARS Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 1, Vietnam, Southeast Asian
Fisheries Development Centre, Aquaculture Centre, Philippines; Research
Institute for Aquaculture No. 3, Vietnam; University of the Sunshine Coast,
Australia;
• Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Northern
Fisheries Centre (NFC) Australia;
• Private sector: FinFish Enterprise Pty Ltd,

12. International mungbean improvement network
• Biotechnology applications:
• genome sequencing and the development of genetic markers
• genotyping for the identification of mungbean yellow mosaic virus

13. International mungbean improvement network
• project conducted in broader program to improve harvesting and
seed production systems - access at a reasonable price for
smallholder farmers
• Partners
• NARs (Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Queensland (Aust)),World Vegetable
Centre
• government extension departments,
• NGOs and
• private seed production and machinery companies.

14. Cocoa improvement Indonesia and South Pacific
Biotechnology application: Molecular marker technology for the
identification of elite cocoa germplasm
Theobromagrandiflorum
Theobromabicolor
CATIECRIOLLO12
CATIELF1
CATIELF3
CATIELF2
TrinidadPA194[PER]
CATIEMEXICO1
CATIEP19
CATIEMOCORONGO
CATIEMANZANILLO
C594FL10
C593P9C486FL15
C583PS23
C490FL11
C579unknown
C515
VA7
C529
P11
C517
VA9
C545
TAF5
C544
TAF4
C520 VA8
C488 FL14
C485 FL16 C521 VA4
C493 VA10
C504 NUU7 KA2-101
C547 TAF7
C548 TAF8
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Trinidad ICS8
C559 SAT1
C498 VA18
C516 VA5
C585 PS25
C551 TAF11
C566 PS6
C536 Au1C492 PS1C519 VA3
CATIE AMELONADO 15
CATIE JACATrinidad CATONGO
CATIE MUTACION UPALAC553 TAF13
C531 P16
C568 PS8
C525 P10
C532 P15
C530 P17C537 Au7
C534
Au6
C
489
FL13
C590
P5
C528
P14
C502
FL9
C487FL12
C501FL8
C573PS13
C491PS2
C556TAF16
C543TAF3
C518VA11
C587P2
C555TAF(Copyof15)
C554TAF15
C588P3
C586P1
C541TAF1
C505NUU6KA2-210
C510NUU3
C535Au3
C558TAF14
C557TAF17
C546TAF6C523VA17
C542TAF2
C507NUU4-3M?
C538Au4
C480FL6C591P6
C482FL4
C549TAF9
C567PS7C550
TAF10
C497
VA14
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VA20
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C571
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C589P4
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TrinidadLAFI7
C522 VA12
C494 VA6C584 PS24
C514 VA13C503 FL7
C495 VA2C574 PS14
C511 VA19
C592 P7
C481 FL5
C560 SAT2
C570 PS10
C524 P13
C562 SAT4
C512 VA1
C582 PS22
C561 SAT3
CATIE LA ESMIDA AMARILLA
C575 PS15
C569 PS9
C577 PS18
C580 PS20
C578 PS19
C509 NUU2 K24-1
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C513
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C483FL3
C479FL1
C552TAF12
C484FL2
C572PS12
C526P8
C540Au8
C539Au2
C527P12
CATIEAMAZ3/2

15. Cocoa improvement Indonesia and South Pacific
• Several projects focussed on improved clones occurred in a broader
long-term program of cocoa farming systems
• Program included research in fertilisation practices, supply chains for
cocoa clones, farm management techniques, IPDM, post harvest
treatments & training
• Partners
• Government Ag Research Institutes (Partner country and Australia)
• Partner country and Australian Universities
• Secretariat of the Pacific Community
• Extension agencies and private companies in coca value chains
• Mars Inc.

16. Summary
• Agri-biotechnology offers opportunities for transformational
change
• Partnerships are essential between research institutions, private
sector, government policy makers and communities to deliver ag
research for development impacts.
• For ACIAR, rather than seeing biotechnology as a ‘silver bullet’,
biotechnology research needs to link into partnerships that
ensure benefits reach smallholders and communities