When:	February 8th, 2003 8:15 am - 4:40 pm.
Where:	King Kamehameha Hotel, Kona (Big Island)

On February 8th, 2003, we - the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i at Manoa organized a public educational forum on biotechnology (use of genetically modified crops/organisms - GMO's) in agriculture in Kona (Big Island), at the King Kamehameha Hotel.

The purpose of this forum was to inform the public of the current state of affairs on the use of biotechnology in agriculture so that people can make decisions that are right for them. Through the use of ground rules, we provided an environment where people were encouraged to learn and form their own opinions about GMOs in the context of environmental, health and regulatory issues.

We presented the issue from a variety of perspectives so that the participants could have a better understanding about this complex issue. Three major topics were addressed in presentations at the forum:

- GMO's and Food Safety;

- GMO's and Environmental Benefits and Concerns;

- GMO's in Hawai'i.

Written questions were collected and answered at the end of each section. There were speakers representing a broad cross section of opinions. They came from universities, the Hawaii Genetic Engineering Action Network, local commercial and organic farming, private organizations and the federal government.

The streaming videos of the educational forum are now available, click here to watch them.