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Crans Montana, Switzerland
June 29, 2001
EDEN Bioscience Corporation (Nasdaq:EDEN) a Bothell, Wash.,
based company, today unveiled a program to bring leading-edge
agricultural technology to less-developed countries that will
help poor farmers produce higher yields of healthier food and
feed crops.
Under the program, the company's product, Messenger(R), will
first be made available to small-scale farmers in Ethiopia and
Kenya. Within a year, the project will be expanded to other
African and Eastern European countries that apply to EDEN(R) for
inclusion in the project.
"We are committed to a more humane world in which life-enhancing
technologies are made available simultaneously to all," said
Beat Adler, EDEN business manager for Africa and the Middle
East, at a presentation during the Crans Montana Forum. "We are
beginning our subsistence farming demonstration program in
Ethiopia, which has some of the poorest farmers in the world. At
the same time, however, large-scale growers in the United States
are utilizing the technology of Messenger to enhance yields and
quality and protect plants against diseases in such high-value
crops as strawberries, grapes, apples, and others."
Representatives from EDEN gave a half-day presentation on the
Subsistence Farming Project to approximately 40 people attending
the Forum, including some 20 ministers of agriculture from
Eastern European and African nations. "Messenger has a perfect
technological fit for small farmers," said Beat Adler. "Because
of the low dosage per hectare per season, even subsistence
farmers can benefit from Messenger. It takes only one
application to the seed of monocotyledonous crops such as wheat,
rice, maize, teff, and sorghum to increase overall basic food
production in any country where it is needed," he explained.
"There will be no barriers to the access of EDEN's technology,"
added company CEO Jerry Butler at the forum. "We at EDEN believe
a better world can be created by making Messenger available to
all -- from the most sophisticated Western grower to
subsistence-level farmers in less-developed countries who will
reap the benefits of improved crop yield and quality without
additional heavy labor or expensive application equipment. Using
Messenger, we believe growers in less-developed countries may be
able to substantially improve their farm incomes without
reliance on others," he said.
Messenger was developed and brought to the commercial market in
the United States by EDEN Bioscience(R). The product combines
biotechnology and green chemistry to harness natural plant
defense and growth systems that cause plants to resist attack by
diseases and insects, and exhibit increased nutrient uptake and
photosynthesis. Yields can be increased by 10 percent to 20
percent with as little as 5 to 7.5 grams/ha of the active
ingredient -- a harpin protein.
Messenger has been shown to be non-hazardous to humans, animals,
and the environment, Adler told forum participants. No special
equipment or application technology is required -- farmers
simply mix Messenger in a container with water, dip the seed in
the mixture, and then sow the seeds.
EDEN uses environmentally friendly fermentation and formulation
processes to produce the harpin protein in Messenger. The role
of naturally occurring harpin proteins in triggering natural
plant defense systems and activating growth systems without
altering the plant's DNA was discovered by Zhongmin Wei, PhD,
and colleagues at Cornell University, New York, in 1992. Dr. Wei
is now vice-president for research at EDEN, which is located in
Bothell, Washington.
The program will begin in Ethiopia and Kenya as soon as a
training facility has been set up and some technical and
practical questions have been resolved, including a
clarification of the registration process, according to Adler.
The project will be initiated in Addis Ababa under the
supervision of an EDEN agricultural specialist hired
specifically to implement this project.
EDEN also announced that earlier in the
week, the company was awarded the U.S. Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge Award for its technical innovation in the
development of the harpin technology incorporated in Messenger.
The award is given annually through the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics to
companies and
individuals that research, develop, and implement technologies
that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous
substances.
Each year, the Crans Montana Forum brings together approximately
1200 participants that include heads of state from smaller
countries, prime ministers, members of governments and
international organizations to meet with CEOs and others
representing small businesses. This year, Crans Montana invited
targeted ministers of agriculture worldwide to attend the EDEN
presentation and discussion. The forum is produced under the
umbrella of the Swiss government and is operated similarly to
the World Economic Forum Davos, an event held in January every
year for top international leaders and CEOs of very large
companies.
(c) 2001 EDEN Bioscience Corporation.
Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using
this product.
Messenger(R), and EDEN(R), and EDEN Bioscience(R) are registered
trademarks of EDEN Bioscience Corp.
Company news release
N3626 |
