This new policy brief, “Agriculture, Food, and Water Nanotechnologies for the Poor”, by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says that advances in nanotechnology present new opportunities to improve the livelihoods of the poor, but also create new risks. IFPRI identifies potential advances resulting from nanotechnology as: increased production; reduction of postharvest loss; improvement of product quality; increased competitiveness of agricultural producers; and, improvement of market access. Despite the fact that most investment in this emerging technology is made in developed countries, research advancements do provide glimpses of potential applications in agriculture, food, and water safety that could have significant impacts on rural populations in developing nations. Yet these products, which could potentially reduce poverty or increase food and nutrition security, will likely face many challenges in each step of development before being commercialized and used by the rural poor. While such obstacles are inherent to the development of any new technology, IFPRI notes that there are also issues specific to nanotechnology: intellectual property rights; safety and environmental risks; and, possible market displacement effects induced by these technologies. The brief reviews the potential opportunities and challenges of using nanotechnology applications for agriculture, food and water in developing countries.
http://www.ifpri.org/publication/agriculture-food-and-water-nanotechnologies-poor