Can gmo be the cure for worlds hunger and how long does take to feed everyone in the world and how many hectares of gm plant are needed to grow to feed everyone ???

Expert response from GMOAnswers Admin_1

Monday, 09/05/2016 11:21

A lot goes in to creating global food security, to say the least, and while genetic modification (GM) and other applications of biotechnology for agriculture definitely can help, they are not the only solutions. Improved infrastructure, like roads and storage, and connecting farmers to markets and credit so they can purchase inputs and sell excess production for a fair price are a few of the basics we take for granted in North America, but are often missing in many parts of the world.

Let’s also think about total arable land in the world; in other words, the hectares available for agriculture. Today, we devote about 1.5 billion hectares globally to crop production, and while more land is available, it may not be the most productive, and may include sensitive ecosystems that would be best left undisturbed. So obviously we’ll need greater productivity out of the land that is currently in production while also being careful to protect the environment. And this is where GM and biotechnology can play a very important role.

North American agriculture, for example, is a system with some of the highest productivity in the world and the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. An example is the farm where I grew up in southwest Minnesota, which my sister and her family now run. Through a combination of improving agronomic management, introducing new corn hybrids and soybean varieties every three to four years, and GM technology, their yields and overall productivity continue to improve. And, as a result, the soil is probably in better shape today than when it was first cropped. 

I think one of the greatest challenges to finding a “cure for the world’s hunger” is producing more food where it is consumed, and in a sustainable manner. Take Africa for example – it has the fastest growing population of any region in the world, with one billion people in 2010 and two billion expected by 2050, coupled with some of the fastest growing economies. But productivity of many major crops is not keeping pace, soils are degraded and much of African agriculture produces a high level of GHG relative to production. 

Contrast my family in Minnesota with my extended family in Southern Cameroon (I met my wife there while serving in the U.S. Peace Corps), and a crop they and millions of others rely upon – cassava. Smallholder farmers in Cameroon may go 40 years or more before the introduction of a new variety, fertilizer is not often used, and in many areas of Africa, cassava yield and quality are being hit hard with viral diseases. In addition, cassava is a great source of calories, but it is low in micronutrients.

Biotechnology could make a real difference by speeding-up improvements to the plant, such as better nutritional content and greater productivity. In combination with improved agronomic practices, biotech could help create a more environmentally sound production system. And based on a study from Georg-August University in Goettingen, Germany, yield and profit gains from GM technology are even higher for farmers in developing countries than for commercial-scale farmers in industrialized countries.

Feeding the world is complex and not just about putting more acres into production. We must find ways to improve productivity in an environmentally sound manner, create greater prosperity for smallholder farmers and grow more food in the regions where it is consumed. We’ll need all the available tools to meet these goals, and GM is one of those technologies with a proven track record of improving productivity, prosperity and peoples’ lives.