Opportunities | Concepts |
---|---|
Food security (availability, quality, and safety) | Population growth and nutritional needs of human beings reflect the necessity of producing transgenic plants |
Transgenic technology is in progress and provides new opportunities for agricultural production | |
Increasing agricultural production, boosting economic profits, and eliminating poverty are among the benefits of transgenic plants | |
Transgenic foods are healthy and like ordinary foods are considered safe to eat | |
Transgenic products have higher nutritional value than other plants | |
Biosafety | The technology of transgenic plants supports sustainable agriculture development goals |
Like natural herbs, transgenic plants completely decompose and return to nature | |
Transgenic plants reduce the use of pesticides and thus contribute to protection of environment | |
Having natural and beneficial genes is the main distinction between transgenic plants and other plants | |
Production of transgenic plants boosts resistance to pests and diseases | |
Transgenic plants reduce the negative environmental impacts of agricultural activities | |
Cultivation of transgenic plants minimizes pesticide residues in food products and environment | |
Transgenic plants help control weeds | |
Cultivation of transgenic plants can lead to soil protection |
Challenges | Concepts |
---|---|
Structural–managerial | Production of transgenic plants in Iran is unnecessary and traditional breeding methods can meet future food needs |
Due to political issues and deficiencies in planning, the production of transgenic plants has faced with some problems | |
Little attention of authorities to production of transgenic plants reduces the rate of productivity and increases the need for resources of energy | |
Lack of an enabling environment for private sector’s activity has led to slow growth and development of transgenic products in agricultural sector | |
Managerial systems, regulatory agencies, and controllers of transgenic plant production are faced with major problems in Iran | |
Resistance of politicians in some countries (like Iran) has limited the spread of transgenic plants | |
Administrative bureaucracy is one of the main problems of transgenic plants’ development | |
Educational | Lack of an educational, research, and development (ERD) system is a significant barrier for development of this new technology |
Lack of educators and knowledgeable specialists in development of transgenic plants is one of the main challenges in this area | |
Non-certification of the use of transgenic products by recognized scientific and research authorities is one of the weaknesses in their application | |
There is no consensus among experts on the usage of transgenic products | |
Lack of consensus on potential risks of transgenic plants has prevented the massive production of these products | |
The process of generating knowledge and technology on transgenic plants in Iran is very slow | |
Cognitive | Lack of familiarity with methods, goals, and results of genetic engineering causes people to be concerned about the acceptance of transgenic plants |
Lack of awareness of consumers and manufacturers about the features of transgenic technology is an obstacle for its development | |
Informational | Inconspicuous role of the mass media in introducing the achievements of transgenic technology has led to backwardness of this technology |
Lack of accurate statistical information on transgenic plants has prevented the growth of this area |