Dr. Nina Fedoroff [1 | 2] Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State and to the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development
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Biotechnology is essential to African food security
At a roundtable discussion, Ghanaian biosafety and biotechnology expert Prof. Walter Alhassan stressed that agricultural biotechnology is crucial to his country dealing effectively with food security issues and the impact of a changing and less predictable climate. He added that “after 14 years of commercial use of genetic modification (GM) crops, no scientifically proved risk has been confirmed due to GM application.” Ghana’s National Biosafety Committee will soon be considering applications to permit field trials of protein-enhanced sweet potatoes and insect protected cowpea in the country. Learn more.
Recent anti-biotech ruling on GM beet sugar harms farmers and consumers
A recent federal district court ruling that limits the application of genetically modified beet sugar will have a negative impact on the price and availability of sugar in America, according to a Forbes article. Genetically modified beet sugar accounts for 95 percent of all sugar grown in the United States. The court ruling, which requires a more intensive environmental impact study by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (the agency that already approved the GM beets in 2005) will result in uncertainty in the sugar marketplace, hurting farmers and consumers. Learn more.
McKinsey & Co. released a report that communicates a positive outlook for the future of biofuels, while Sierra Leonean scientist and recipient of the 2004 World Food Prize, Monty Jones, called for more awareness among individuals about genetic engineering and the benefits it can bring to Africa.
State Deparment official Dr. Nina Fedoroff discusses the advantages of genetically modified crops
Fora.tv featured a lecture by Dr. Nina Fedoroff, Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, titled “Genetically Modified Crops: Monsters or Miracles?” In the lecture Dr. Fedoroff discusses the role that GM foods can play in food security as the population rises to 9 billion. She also addresses the promise of Golden Rice, rice engineered to help the body produce Vitamin A so children do not die or go blind from Vitamin A deficiency, a common problem in the developing world.
Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes about the importance of achieving both agricultural productivity and sustainability. As head of the largest foundation in the world, Mr. Gates has made a $1.4 billion commitment to small farmers for reducing global hunger through approaches that include agricultural technology.
Mr. Gates writes, “I have seen proof that agricultural science can make people’s lives better” and points to advances like the Swarna-sub1 Rice, a seed variety that can survive underwater for more than two weeks and help farmers in places that are prone to floods. According to Bill Gates, the next “Green Revolution” must help feed a billion people using modern technology in a sustainable manner.
George McGovern, former senator from South Dakota and 1972 Democratic Nominee for Vice President, and Marshall Matz, former counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, wrote an opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee about US agriculture policy and the challenge of ending hunger worldwide. Mr. McGovern and Mr. Matz ask for a more respectful discussion about agriculture that does not pit one side against the other, but instead values science and recognizes the important contributions of farmers.
They write that while most Americans give little thought to agriculture policy and food production, there is a real food shortage in many developing countries and millions of children go to school hungry everyday. They argue that the world can meet the challenge of increasing food production only if all available tools, including science, are utilized and people learn more about food production and what it takes to feed the world.
Professor Sir Gordon Conway, chief scientist at the UK’s Department for International Development, has produced a new scientific paper arguing that climate change could devastate Africa and lead to catastrophic food shortages. He predicts that hunger could increase dramatically as more droughts affect water supply, leading to a 50% reduction in crop yields by 2020.
Sir Conway maintains that new technologies must be part of Africa’s response to hunger and drought. According to Sir Conway, “In certain circumstances…GM may be the speediest and most efficient way to increase yields.”
Read more about Sir Conway’s scientific paper here
Dr. Nina Fedoroff
At a roundtable discussion, Ghanaian biosafety and biotechnology expert Prof. Walter Alhassan stressed that agricultural biotechnology is crucial to his country dealing effectively with food security issues and the impact of a changing and less predictable climate. He added that “after 14 years of commercial use of genetic modification (GM) crops, no scientifically proved risk has been confirmed due to GM application.” Ghana’s National Biosafety Committee will soon be considering applications to permit field trials of protein-enhanced sweet potatoes and insect protected cowpea in the country. Learn more.
sugar will have a negative impact on the price and availability of sugar in America, according to a Forbes article. Genetically modified beet sugar accounts for 95 percent of all sugar grown in the United States. The court ruling, which requires a more intensive environmental impact study by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (the agency that already approved the GM beets in 2005) will result in uncertainty in the sugar marketplace, hurting farmers and consumers. Learn more.