Copyright © 2000 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Acceptance of modern biotechnology in developing countries: a case study of the Philippines

Abstract: Recently, public acceptance of transgenic food has become a political issue, not only in industrialized, but also in developing countries with democratic systems such as India and the Philippines. This article presents a methodology which can be applied to assess public acceptance of agricultural biotechnology in developing countries. In the case of the Philippines, a survey of 65 respondents representing the main stakeholders involved in the public debate on biotechnology was conducted using a semi-standardized questionnaire. Perception patterns among the participants were evaluated by means of a cluster and a principal component analysis. The political weight attributed to each stakeholder was defined by applying a policy network analysis. The findings indicate that public acceptance of transgenic food crops is also a critical issue in the Philippines