Is genetic modification one of the solutions to feeding the growing global population?

Expert response from Community Manager

Friday, 09/01/2015 13:09

In short, yes, genetically modified (GM) crops are one tool with great potential for helping feed the growing population. The challenge is not just one of increased productivity though, but also of improving prosperity for millions of smallholder farmers and environmental stewardship and sustainability. That's a tall order and we’ll need all the tools available to us.  

 

Let’s first think about North American agriculture, which has amongst the highest crop yields in the world, efficient use of inputs (Ciampitti and Vyn, 2014; Grassini and Cassman, 2012), and less than half the nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, than a country like China (West et al., 2014). North American farmers use all the tools available – agronomic innovations, modern varieties and hybrids, and GM crops – and continually push for improvements in both productivity and sustainability.

 

Now think about the African continent. The population has doubled to more than 1 billion since 1980 and is on track to double again in the next 30 or so years (World Population Review, 2014; Economist, 2014), with more than 60 percent of the population directly involved in agricultural production (African Development Bank, 2010).  Yet yields of their major crops – maize, sorghum, cassava, and legume crops, for example – remain stagnant and most of the smallholder farmers are at a subsistence level with limited opportunities for greater prosperity.  

 

Technology, including GM crops, available to North American farmers is at least as useful to smallholder farmers in Africa, and elsewhere, and we need to make these tools available everywhere. In fact, in a recent publication from economists at Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany, the authors found that yield and profit gains from the adoption of GM crops were greater in developing countries than in developed countries (Klumper and Quaim, 2014). This should not be surprising, since others have demonstrated that when agriculture stimulates growth in Africa, the growth is twice as effective in reducing poverty as growth based in other sectors (African Development Bank, 2010).  More food needs to be produced where it is consumed, and GM crops are one of the tools to getting this done.

 

You might be interested in this article by Calestous Juma, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, Global Risks of Rejecting Agricultural Biotechnology. Here is an excerpt:

 

“The demand for nutritious food continues to rise. By 2050 the global demand for food could nearly double as the population grows and the developing world becomes more affluent, demanding more calories in their daily diet. This demand will need to be achieved under ecological constraints imposed by shrinking land availability and climate change. The world will need to expand the contents of its technological toolbox to meet the challenges.

 

“Biotechnology has the promise to contribute to the rising demand for nutritious food. It can lead to increased food security, as well as improving health in developing countries by enhancing food nutrition. In agriculture, biotechnology has enabled the genetic advancement of crops, improved soil productivity, and enhanced weed and pest control. Unfortunately, such potential has largely remained untapped by African countries, where persistent food shortages have wide implications.

 

“In addition to increased crop productivity, biotechnology can create more nutritious crops, produce more food, increase household income, and provide a better quality of life for millions of people. About 250 million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which weakens their immune systems and is the biggest contributor to blindness among children. Other vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are necessary to maintain healthy bodies, and a deficiency will lead to infections, complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and impaired child development. Biotechnology has the potential to improve access to more nutritious food, leading both to lower health care costs and higher economic performance (due to improved worker health).”