A former British Science minister speaks out on behalf of biotech crops and researchers in India develop a protein-rich potato that has the potential to improve the diets of millions in developing nations.

Former British Science Minister calls for renewed debate on biotech crops based on scientific evidence

Lord David Sainsbury, a former British science minister, spoke out recently on behalf of biotech crops, sharing that the “technology could play a vitally important role in feeding a global population predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050.” Lord Sainsbury told BBC Radio that the UK risks falling behind other world powers like India and China because of the country’s ban on biotech crops. He adds that ruling out this technology would be “very foolish” and not based on scientific evidence. Read more.

Genetic engineering a more precise form of selective plant breeding

While a great deal of recent attention has been devoted to the FDA’s approval process of genetically engineered salmon, Associated Press reporters Seth Borenstein and Malcolm Ritter write that humans have been altering food for the thousands of years through selective plant breeding. Norman Borlaug’s Green Revolution, which saved millions of lives in Africa and Asia, would not have been possible without precise breeding methods. The reporters quote CBI Expert Bruce Chassy who adds, “all of the animals, plants and microbes we use in our food system, our agricultural system, are genetically modified in one way or another.” Read more.

Researchers in India develop a protein-packed potato

A genetically modified potato that has up to 60 percent more protein than unmodified potatoes and increased levels of amino acids was developed by researchers in India. According to ABC News, the potato uses a gene from the seed of the amaranth plant (a grain crop) to achieve greater levels of protein. More than a billion people worldwide consume potatoes every day, and the modified potato could have positive public health effects by reducing protein deficiency in developing nations. Read more.

Seventeen farmers from around the world gathered for the Global Farmer-to-Farmer Roundtable as part of the World Food Prize Symposium events held in Des Moines, Iowa this week. In its fourth year, the purpose of the gathering is to bring together a diverse group of farmers representing both small and large-scale farms to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the world’s food producers.

The Roundtable is organized by Truth About Trade and Technology and, this year, is sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Council for Biotechnology Information. As population grows and demand challenges our ability to meet food needs, what are the longterm strategies and technologies used by global farmers to feed the world? Farmers from as far away as Kenya, South Africa, India, China and Australia are meeting to discuss the agricultural needs in their communities. Farmers and agricultural experts from the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Honduras, Argentina and the U.S. are also part of the group and each bring a unique perspective on their local agricultural needs. Nations struggling with the question of how to feed more people, sustainably and in harmony with the environment, need only to listen to what some of these farmers have to say.

Here’s what these farmers are saying:

KENYA: Small-scale farmers provide approximately 70 percent of the food for the country. We need access to all technologies to enable us to feed people. This includes agricultural biotechnology, irrigation technology, zero-tillage technology.The government needs to support this.

SOUTH AFRICA: We have the technology and the demand for the food produced, but there’s a lack of support and incentives for investing in R & D and training the next generation of farmers. The cost of farming is prohibitive.

INDIA: We are losing the next generation of farmers as people move to the cities for better education and jobs. In addition to technology, we need incentives for our young people to pursue farming and make it profitable. We can have all the technology in the world, but without people to use it, we won’t have food.

MEXICO: We need a level playing field for all farmers. We cannot deny some farmers access to technologies; those who have the technology cannot fairly compete with those who do. Also, the conversation needs to be more scientific. We need to talk about biotechnology with less emotion and more science.

PORTUGAL: In Europe, we are 10 years behind the U.S. because of all the restrictions and the EU trying to make decisions for all countries regarding use of biotech seeds. We need to make our own choices for using the technology.

IRELAND: In addition to new technologies for plants, we must also consider the health of the soil that we grow our food on.  We need to understand the soil science better.

CHINA: Investments in agriculture is also an investment in our food security. When we grow enough to feed our people, then we know where our food comes from and we have a secure food supply. We have approved the use of biotech rice but it is not yet commercially available.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Roundtable as we move into Day 2. And coming in the next day or so, don’t miss posts/updates on Bill Gates’ first-ever speech on agriculture and global development as well as presentations by Jeffrey Sachs and U.S Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

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Britain will spend up to £100m on support for genetically modified crops for the world’s poor, the Guardian reports.  Despite not allowing agricultural biotechnology at home, the British government is committed to dramatically increasing spending on high-tech agriculture over the next five years.

According to a new white paper, the government will spend £80m on the development of biofortified crops containing added vitamins, £60m on drought-resistant maize research in Africa, and £24m on pest resistance. In addition, support for an international network of GM crop research stations, in collaboration with GM companies, will be doubled.