“Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?”

Victoria Henson-Apollonio, the CAS-IP manager, sent me this link:

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-hunger/

For those of us who are involved in food security, this is extremely stimulating because a number of experts present their viewpoints on the question.  Here is a sampling:

Paul Collier: The debate over genetically modified crops and food has been contaminated by political and aesthetic prejudices: hostility to U.S. corporations, fear of big science and romanticism about local, organic production.

Vandana Shiva: Food security over the next two decades will have to be built on ecological security and climate resilience. We need the real green revolution, not a second “Green Revolution” based on genetic engineering.

Raj Patel: The U.S. leads the world in genetically modified agricultural technology, yet one in eight Americans is hungry. Last year, with bumper harvests, more than a billion people ate less than 1,900 calories per day. The cause of hunger today isn’t a shortage of food — it’s poverty.

Whatever we think about biotechnology, this NYTimes blog makes an even-handed effort to present a number of expert opinions in some depth.  One thing is for sure – everyone has strong views on the subject!

The CGIAR provides a perspective within the context of the Alliance mission at: http://www.cgiar.org/impact/agribiotech.html

This overview observes that:

As transgenics could offer important options for meeting food demand and environmental challenges, many scientists dedicated to reducing hunger and creating wealth among poor farmers consider such new technologies to be one part of the tool box of possible solutions.

Post written by Peter Bloch, consultant to CAS-IP

Further to this post I was sent a link (thanks Keith!) “Food: is Monsanto the answer or the problem?” where Reuters have mapped out where GM crops are cultivated and made comparisons between GM and non-GM.  It provides useful snapshot of information for the context of this post.

The next green revolution: WARNINGS

M. S. Swaminathan was one of the keynote speakers at the 2nd World Seed Conference held recently in Rome. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Green Revolution. 

His speech can be downloaded at: https://www.seedtest.org/upload/cms/user/MrSwaminathanSpeech1.pdf

One of his key points was that:

“This (the next green revolution) should be achieved without harm to the ecological foundations essential for sustainable agriculture. The green revolution should become an ever-green revolution…without ecological harm.”

Speaking as a member of the final panel discussion, he went further and talked specifically about the damage in India caused by over use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.   See the general interest article that appeared earlier this year in National Geographic which discusses this issue.

The next Green Revolution is underway in Africa with dozens of organizations (including ICRISAT with its seed alliances) focusing on increasing agricultural output. The topic of sustainability is gaining traction, and Malawi farmer association NASFAM comments in its June 2009 newsletter, “Titukulane”, that:

“….there have been damaging consequences of the methods used. The use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides has damaged the environment and ecosystems, impoverished the soil and polluted water supplies. The use of hybrid seeds has reduced biodiversity and created mono-cultures which are susceptible to disease and epidemics….The costs of dealing with these problems are hidden and carried by society in general. “

NASFAM is taking this mission seriously, and in the same newsletter (available to members) has a new section on Conservation Agriculture in which it provides detailed instructions targeting s/h farmers on a range of activities they can easily adopt. There is also a very well written feature on Turning your green plant residues to “gold” which describes how to make natural compost.

Post written by Peter Bloch, consultant to CAS-IP