The chief aim of Genetically Modified Organisms in Developing Countries: Risk Analysis and Governance is to discuss the current regulatory frameworks and risk assessment approaches governing the implementation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It seeks to highlight the ways in which these approaches are outmoded and how they are hindering the effective use of GMOs to benefit humanity. The work focuses particularly on exploring this through the lens of food security in developing countries, discussing how in many cases regulations set up in the developing world are not suited for developing nations. The authors explore where the problems lie and how they might be rectified. Essentially, GMO technology has enormous potential to relieve issues of food security that are especially severe in developing nations. Currently, however, regulation is compromising this potential.

The volume is divided into five sections: (1) “Risk Analysis Methodology and Decision-Making,” (2) “Diversification of Expertise,” (3) “Risk-Analysis-Based Regulatory Systems,” (4) “Case Studies from Developing Countries,” and (5) “Conclusions and Recommendations.” Each chapter begins with a summary of the background discussion, but there is no apparent order of the chapters within each “part,” with structure coming from the sectioning of the book. Although it is understandable why the editors did this, it leads to a disjointed feeling for the reader and to repetition in a few cases. Furthermore, not all the chapters within each part seem to fit with the overall theme of that part.

Of the book’s 25 chapters, seven chapters deal in some way with the structure of regulation, such as how risk assessment is conducted, the way in which risk and benefits are weighed, the role of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB), and how the precautionary principle has played an important part in biosafety regulations. While these matters can be technically complex and jargon-laden, they are necessary if the scale of the problem is to be properly understood.

A further nine chapters deal with case studies regarding the implementation of regulatory frameworks and the actual commercial use of GMOs, such as Bt cotton in China and Africa, GM canola in Argentina, and the Canadian model for implementing regulatory frameworks. These examples are drawn from developing countries and effectively contextualize the particular problems faced in these nations. In the case of sub-Saharan Africa, biosafety laws strongly reflect the position of the developed world, such that the precautionary principle is now enshrined in their GMO legislation. As a result of these restrictions, cotton production in countries such as Nigeria is negatively affected by losses due to pests and disease. This could be mitigated if GM Bt cotton were introduced in Nigeria, as has been done successfully in Burkina Faso.

The overall thrust of the book is that regulatory frameworks, and in particular the use of the “precautionary principle” within these frameworks (p. 39), having been introduced at the very beginning of the GMO revolution, are not keeping pace with biotechnological developments and require updating. An example is the precautionary principle, which focuses on type II errors, the current method used by the European Union and the core method of the CPB, to which 171 parties are signatory. Consequently, the application of the precautionary principle has widespread implications for biosafety legislation, resulting in overly severe regulation that is extremely costly to navigate. One of the chief recommendations of the book is that decisions be made considering both benefits and risks, as opposed to using the precautionary principle, which considers only risk, whether proven or not.

The book offers important conclusions about the way the developed world has established a system of regulation that in many cases is needlessly severe and thus often hinders the use of GMOs. Therefore, established methods of regulation are not necessarily a model for the developing world, and in many ways, they impede developing nations from using GMOs to their advantage. For example, as highlighted in Chapter 22, Brazil is a major crop exporter, but as a signatory to the CPB, its ability to easily export GMO goods is limited. As a result, production of GM crops may not be economically viable. Furthermore, as Ademola A. Adenle discusses in Chapter 14, many developing countries lack expertise, ability, and financial clout to conduct the risk assessments required by the precautionary principle enshrined in the CPB (p. 164). In this way, their ability to utilize GMOs is further constrained.

This text does a good job of highlighting some of the issues around using GMOs, making clear that it is not just a problem of flawed policy but also one of public perception, and therefore clear communication of the risks and benefits is necessary not only to those with the power to change legislation but also to those who hold these people electorally accountable. In Chapter 15, Hossein Azadi, Adenle, and Klaus Ammann nicely show how the opinions and policy of developed nations can affect utilization of GMOs in developing nations by creating an inhospitable trading environment and influencing public opinion (pp. 175–176). A theme running throughout the book is the need for international harmonization of biosafety assessment so that studies are not needlessly repeated and the trading of GMO products is simplified. The latter case is an example of how the structure of the volume detracts from its content. Although harmonization is discussed, the discourse is split between several chapters, such that the extremely relevant case study of Golden Rice is discussed in isolation in Chapter 12 and not substantively linked to the need for harmony around regulatory processes. This problem is something of a running sore in the volume, such that the reader must try to piece together the narrative from several chapters; this is compounded by the fact that information is often repeated. For example, the actual process of risk assessment is expounded in both Chapters 3 and 13, while the Codex Alimentarius definitions of “risk communication” are raised in Chapters 4, 13, and 16. The separation of the majority of the case studies into a separate section emphasizes this sense of disjointedness and decreases the value of the case studies in reinforcing the core points of discussion.

Overall, the volume would have benefited from clearly defining technical terms as they appear. It would also have benefited from an expanded discussion of several important cases. For example, an excellent point is raised by Adenle in Chapter 14 regarding the way in which the precautionary principle approach to biosafety regulation leads to multinational corporations (MNCs) being the only bodies able to afford GMO development, resulting in their having control exclusive over GMOs. As a result of distrust of MNCs, this can lead to distrust of GMOs by association (pp. 165–166). However, it would have been useful if a link were drawn between mistrust of GMOs leading to poor public perception. Since public opinion influences policy, as demonstrated by Hobolt and Klemmemsen, this could result in more stringent regulation, making GMO development even more costly. ^{Reference Hobolt and Klemmemsen1}

This book is written for an expert audience with an interest in public policy and food security. Based on the level of the discourse throughout, the book is appropriate for those studying at the graduate level. The authors offer important conclusions about the way in which the developed world has established a system of regulation that in many cases is needlessly severe. Better understanding of the findings would be beneficial to policymakers. The current biosafety regulations often hinder the use of GMOs and are not necessarily a model for the developing world; rather, in many ways, they preclude developing nations from using GMOs to their advantage. While this book does not necessarily raise revolutionary new points, it does show the issues in a new and frequently neglected light, focusing existing knowledge through the perspective of risk assessment.