Of course, none of this will happen without suitably trained staff in plant
breeding and molecular biology, so substantial increases in the education
of plant breeders are essential. Most countries are struggling to maintain
strong breeding capabilities. A vital adjunct is the free communication of
resources and capabilities from technology developers to technology users.
Resource and capacity building within breeding programs is essential to
For many of the new breeding technologies, access to equipment, re-
agents, and skilled personnel is critical. Whereas service providers deliver
this support to breeding programs in some parts of the world, they are often
too expensive for poorly resourced breeding programs, and the logistics of
sending plant tissue samples for analysis in a timely fashion can be prohib-
itive. Some organizations are attempting to address this limitation by es-
tablishing support services for breeding programs in the developing world
(www.generationcp.org/).