Factors Influencing Acceptance of NBTs

Project description

What is the research project about?

Past experience shows that agriculture and food production innovations succeed when they offer tangible benefits to society. Our project investigates how humans view their role in nature and how they weigh the risks and benefits of technological innovations. It combines quantitative, qualitative and experimental approaches, including virtual reality, to investigate real consumer decisions and the social perception of NRP 84 applications. The goal is to foster a better understanding of different perspectives and stimulate a public dialog on future agriculture and food production. The insights will be disseminated through a three-part training course for scientists and other stakeholders, focusing on communication, storytelling and conflict resolution.

Why is the research project important?

Without addressing public concerns and unanticipated ethical dimensions of NBT implementation, agricultural innovations in plant breeding are likely to fail. The studies planned in this project will provide evidence on how consumers perceive NBTs. Factors influencing the acceptance or rejection of NBTs are identified. The aim is to avoid mistakes made during the introduction of genetic engineering.