In May 2004 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its 2003-2004 book-length report, The State of Food and Agriculture: Agricultural Biotechnology: Meeting the Needs of the Poor? It immediately attracted significant press and media attention. In fact, while reporting on its survey of existing examinations of risks posed by agricultural biotechnology, the FAO report concludes that 'biotechnology is capable of benefiting small resource-poor farmers' and that in numerous situations the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. In addition to attempting to re-orient biotechnology discussions and lessen the polemics attendant to them, 1. the FAO report offers and illuminates much factual information that is encompassed by biotechnology research, applications, and distribution. In fact, report lays out a coherent understanding of what biotechnology is, and offers a clear exposition for general readers--as well as policy and scientific specialists--of essential biotechnology concepts and methods such as market-assisted breeding, cell as well as genetic engineering. 2. Of particular importance, the essay has a thoughtful discussion on the health and environmental concerns associated with biotechnology. While concluding that, as to health concerns, there is a scientific consensus that biotechnology-altered foodstuffs are safe, the report stresses the scientific consensus on the need for case-by-case studies for all biotechnology products and processes. Regarding environmental concerns, of which the reports describes the science community's call for more scientific research and investigation, the FAO report surveys and describes the international instruments that are beginning to direct policy and regulatory standard development for biotechnology, such as the International Plant Protection Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Notwithstanding its multi-faceted examination of biotechnology for the 21st century, 3. the FAO report's other major emphasis--alongside the potential of biotechnology for poor farmers--is that the mode for bringing this biotechnology potential to poor farmers is woefully deficient. Although some obstacles are indeed formidable for bringing biotechnology potential benefits to the poor, the report does not despair, and it offers ideas and even an agenda for reorienting the biotechnology enterprise for greater technology transfer and benefits for the poor. To overcome technology transfer and development obstacles, 4. the FAO report calls on all countries and the international community as a whole to: 'establish transparent, predictable science-based regulatory procedures; establish appropriate intellectual property rights to insure that developers can earn an adequate return of investment.' Along with these supportive measures, more direct measures for bio-technology need to be taken, and these include a dramatic increase in public research, a fostering of public-private partnerships, greater focus on the crops that poor farmers grow, and the emergence of developing world regional centers of biotechnology research and dissemination. The FAO report is hopeful that this can be done. 5. Underlying its propounding of this hopeful vision is not only an examination of what is currently amiss, but also important case studies in which biotechnology is actually helping poor farmers, in terms of economics and also human health, as is the case with biotechnology-modified cotton in China. (76)