GM or GE foods (genetically-modified or genetically-engineered food) refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. This technique allows the new gene (Vitamin A and iron – in the case of rice), to be transferred from one plant species to another.
The benefits of GM crops
Some of the benefits of GM crops include disease resistance (it can remove microorganisms which cause diseases in plants), pest resistance (chemicals are expensive and GM crops can be engineered to have their own Bacillus thuringiensis genes that make them resistance to pests), cold resistance and herbicide tolerance. Besides these practical solutions, one of the main reasons why scientists, researchers and the agricultural industries continue to pursue GM crops is because of the nutritional benefits they can provide.
Golden rice
In developing countries, a large number of people rely on rice as their staple food. This food source does not provide enough nutrients and surviving solely on rice could lead to malnutrition, suffering immune systems and starvations. Blindness, which can be caused by a lack of Vitamin A, is also prevalent amongst children in third world countries.
Golden rice is rice that has been genetically modified to contain higher quantities of pro-vitamin A as well as enhanced iron content. By genetically modifying the staple food of people in developing countries, researchers believe they have a golden cure.
“By nature, vitamin A is almost completely absent from rice,” Gerard Barry, coordinator of the Golden Rice Network and staff m ember of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) tells GMO Campus.
Researchers have developed a variety of the plant through GM technology that produces greater proportions of beta-carotene (a compound that the human body can process into vitamin A). The enhanced iron content in the grains as a result of enhanced levels of beta-carotene, which gives the rice a yellow tint (this colouring prompted the name of ‘Golden Rice”).
Original Golden Rice field trials took place in Louisiana, America, in 2004. Golden rice is currently being field tested in the Philippines and the first batches may be commercially available within a year or two.
Opposition against GM crops
Asia-based agricultural acvitists, however, oppose GM crops and Golden Rice. Critics say the development of Golden Rice reveals a lack of understanding of the socio-economic roots of poverty, a desire by big companies to gain ‘fast-track acceptance’ of GE crops in developing countries, and their intent to control key aspects of agriculture.
Resistance to GM crops aren’t restricted to Asia. British tabloids have labelled the crops “frankenfood” and fields planted with the produce have been burned in India. Groups in the Philippines also tried to stop trials of genetically modified items by taking the matter to court.
Guillaume Gruere, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) says that most of the reasons why GM food crops aren’t publicly-developed for the poor can be traced back to resistance. The obstacles in developing countries have “in large part resulted from influences from countries and organisations opposed to the use of GM food,” says Gruere.
GM crops are important for sustainable food production
South Africa’s adoption of GM crops continues to expand – since 1996, GM crops in the country have increased to 1.8-million hectares. South Africa has maintained an impressive eigth position in the world ranking of biotech crop countries according to Mediaclubsouthafrica.com.
“This is an important development for sustainable food production in South Africa,” says Kobus Laubsher, CEO for Grain SA. “We have to produce more food, and applying the technology means that we can increase production on fewer hectares of land available,” says Laubsher.
While there is still some resistance to GM crops, Laubsher believes the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. “Every year, 40-million South Africans, in one way or another, consume GM food without a single medical or scientifically-substantiated adverse effect on humans, animals or the environment,” said Laubsher.
Director-general of the IRRI, Robert Ziegler, believes that those opposing GM won’t be able to hold back the technology forever.
“In general the issue in many developing countries is that they don´t have a regulatory framework to handle them [GM crops]. There are pretty strong, mostly Europe-based, lobbies who oppose their use in Sub-Saharan Africa. I think that as crops that have direct benefit to consumers come on board they will eventually be accepted,” concludes Ziegler.
The liveeco team
