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How Can
Biotechnology Contribute to Global Food Security?
Dr.
Channapatna Prakash
Center for Plant Biotechnology Research
Tuskegee University
February 4, 2004
The 'quality
of life' of most people on this has been enhanced through agricultural
research that has led to an affordable food supply, boosted incomes for
millions of farmers, and reduced the incidence of famine and starvation
despite massive population increases in the past few decades.
Nevertheless, food insecurity and malnutrition still persist in parts of
the developing world. The causes for poverty and hunger are varied and
complex, but experts concur that sustainable agricultural development
will be critical in meeting future world food needs, reducing poverty,
and protecting the environment.
To further
increase agricultural productivity equitably - in an environmentally
sustainable manner in the face of diminishing land and water resources -
is a highly challenging task ahead. Knowledge-based approaches including
the development of 'value-added' crops through gene transfer and
genomics can provide powerful solutions enhance food security: by
improving local agricultural productivity, minimizing the use of
chemical inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers, insulating crops
against losses from diseases and pests, curtailing post-harvest losses
including food spoilage, improving food quality and nutrition, and by
increasing crop tolerance to stress factors such as drought and problem
soils. Crops developed from biotechnology are not very dissimilar to
those developed through conventional breeding. Nevertheless,
science-based regulatory testing ensures the safety of such products
prior to commercialization. Transgenic crops grown so far in dozen
countries have already led to substantial benefits to the farmer,
environment, and the consumer.
Agricultural
biotechnology targeted to crops in the developing world such as rice,
corn, sorghum, cassava, plantain, and grain legumes can clearly
contribute to global food security. However, the integration of
biotechnology into agricultural research in the developing countries
faces many challenges which must be addressed: financial, technical,
political, environmental-activist, intellectual-property, biosafety, and
trade-related issues. To ensure that developing countries can harness
the benefit of this technology with minimal problems, concerted efforts
must be pursued to create an awareness of its potential benefits and to
address the concerns related to its use through dialog among the various
stakeholders: policy makers, scientists, trade groups, food industry,
consumer organizations, farmers groups, media, and NGOs.
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