Empowering Stakeholders and Policy Makers With Science-Based Simulation Modeling Tools

Pollen from genetically modified (GM) crops can potentially drift into neighboring non-GM crops. Wind can carry toxin-laden pollen from GM crops into surrounding natural areas. There are warnings that overuse of Bt corn (corn in which genetic material from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been copied) will result in the selection of European corn borer populations that are resistant to the Bt toxins. Each of these concerns is associated with powerful competing stakeholder interests resulting in continued public debates. Because of the intensity of stakeholder interest, the issue will not be solved solely within the scientific community. This article proposes that empowering stakeholders and policy markers with science-based simulation modeling tools will help bring more science into the policy process than would be possible with scientists only reporting modeling results.