12.5 Strategic planning to Improve Mexico’s Bioeconomy
In Mexico, the Bioeconomy Strategy embodies a comprehensive approach that harnesses the country’s biodiversity and natural resources to foster economic growth while safeguarding ecological balance and social well-being. It encompasses a spectrum of productive initiatives that center around biodiversity and environmental resources, aiming not only for economic gains but also for positive impacts on local livelihoods, communities, and the overall functionality of ecosystems. This strategy is carefully structured to operate within a framework that promotes competitiveness and resilience, emphasizing sustainable practices across various sectors, notably fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, and tourism. The Bioeconomy Strategy is spearheaded by BIOFIN, an initiative designed to facilitate and stimulate investments in sectors aligned with bioeconomic principles. Within this strategy, two key elements play pivotal roles in driving its success. First, an “acceleration platform” has been established, functioning as a publicly accessible online platform. This platform serves as a hub where producers, entrepreneurs, and potential buyers converge, enabling them to interact, connect, and foster partnerships within the bioeconomy landscape. It facilitates the matchmaking of innovative ideas, products, and services, promoting collaboration and synergy among stakeholders. Additionally, the strategy incorporates an “acceleration fund” that works in conjunction with the acceleration platform. This fund is dedicated to co-financing various bioeconomy business models at different stages of maturity. It serves as a catalyst for initiatives and projects aligned with bioeconomic principles, providing vital financial support to promising ventures. By offering co-financing opportunities, it encourages the development and implementation of sustainable and innovative business models, fostering their growth and expansion within the bioeconomy sector. Together, these elements create an enabling environment for bioeconomy-focused ventures, promoting collaboration, innovation, and sustainable practices. The strategy not only encourages economic development but also emphasizes the importance of maintaining ecological balance and social resilience, ensuring that the benefits derived from the bioeconomy are sustainable and inclusive for the nation’s communities and ecosystems.
Mexico Is Advancing Towards a Bioeconomic Agriculture
As per Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), the country is actively formulating a bioeconomy strategy for its agricultural sector. This strategy aims to cultivate sustainable agri-food products, fostering their value addition and driving socio-economic development while prioritizing environmental preservation. The European Commission defines the bioeconomy as the utilization of renewable biological resources and their conversion, along with waste streams, into high-value products like food, bioenergy, and bioproducts. Emphasizing sustainability, this approach advocates for responsible production and consumption, ensuring minimal environmental impact. Santiago Arguello, SADER’s General Coordinator of Agriculture, highlighted the presence of bioeconomy strategies in some European nations and the US’s emphasis on biomass industrialization. Other countries like South Africa, Malaysia, and Thailand are also eyeing a transition to this model. Arguello emphasized the benefits of a bioeconomy-based approach, enabling collaboration with national and international science and technology institutions to foster sustainable practices in the primary sector. Alfonso Martinez, from the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) under the UNDP, underscored the UN’s efforts to consolidate a global project vision. He stressed the need to encourage services linked to agribusiness and biodiversity-related ventures. Martínez highlighted a challenge faced by the Mexican bioeconomy model: the creation of tailored financial products for different activities across the agricultural chain. At the state level, Nuevo Leon, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, and Mexico City are formulating policies for sustainable resource use, waste management, and circulation. Martha Escalante, Executive Secretary of the Innovagro Network at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), mentioned their support for the Biopasos project. This initiative promotes biodiversity through agrosilvopastoral practices in Campeche, Chiapas, and Jalisco. Over 1,230 producers across 20 municipalities in these states have adjusted their production methods, shared knowledge, and enhanced their living conditions. Escalante emphasized the program’s objectives, including ensuring food security, sustainable resource management, reducing reliance on non-renewable resources, mitigating and adapting to climate change, job creation, maintaining competitiveness, and fostering new value chains. This bioeconomy endeavor receives support from the National Commission for the Use and Conservation of Biodiversity (Conabio), the Tropical Agricultural Research and Teaching Center (CATIE), and Germany’s Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection, and Nuclear Safety.
Strategy in the country for the Biotechnology Market
Mexico’s regulations surrounding the biotechnology market comprise various laws aimed at overseeing and directing biotechnological activities. However, the predominant focus tends to center on agriculture, often overlooking other crucial biotechnological sectors like industry and health. Additionally, administrative redundancy and communication gaps among overseeing agencies hinder swift and effective processing of projects, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
Proposed Solutions:
1. Enhanced Inter-Agency Communication: A streamlined communication pathway between key agencies like SEMARNAT, SENASICA, and COFEPRIS is imperative. Learning from Ohio’s system, fostering inter-agency collaboration can mitigate redundancy, facilitating a smoother process for project approval.
2. Reform of Biosafety Law: Revisiting the Biosafety Law of Genetically Modified Organisms based on the advancements of the last decade is necessary. Such revisions can lead to a more comprehensive and supportive regulatory framework, promoting the growth of the synthetic biology market in Mexico.
International Regulations Applied in Mexico
Mexico adheres to several international regulations, including the Cartagena Protocol, Nagoya Protocol, World Trade Organization (WTO), and various others. However, the challenge arises from outdated regulations that fail to accommodate modern biotechnological advancements adequately. Specifically, the issue lies in defining GMOs based on the manufacturing process rather than the nature of the product itself.
Proposed Solution:
Upgrading International Regulations: There is a pressing need to revise and modernize international regulations like the Cartagena Protocol to align with contemporary biotechnological innovations. Updating these protocols will enable better regulation of newer biotech products, such as those developed through CRISPR-CAS 9, streamlining approval processes for startups and fostering innovation in the biotechnology sector.