Introduction

This introductory chapter discusses the nature of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and why debates on genetically modified (GM) crops are such a contested subject. With the existing literature and checking the internet for contact details, the chapter gives a preliminary list of 358 non-governmental organisations from the studied regions participating in the current debate of GM crops and seven movements which could have been a representative sample of all NGOs participating in the debate. This study provides the list of NGOs participating in the debate which was divided into eight categories, these being business associations, farmers' associations, foundations, humanitarian NGOs, international think tanks, green/social and environmental justice NGOs, scientific research and science lobbying organisations, and social movements based on two major criteria such as the constituencies they represent and their organisational structure. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.