Transcript Diapositiva 1

GMOs and FOOD SECURITY
Shatha Daqaq – Florine Etame – Chiara Marenco
International Master Programme in Cooperation and Development
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is
an organism whose genetic material has been
altered using genetic engineering techniques.
Recombinant Dna technology uses DNA
molecules from different sources in order to
combine them into one molecule to create a
new set of genes.
Food security exists when all people, at all
times, have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preferences for
an active and healthy life. (FAO)
Food security means access by all members at all
times to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Food security includes at a minimum the ready
availability of nutritionally adequate and safe
foods, and an assured ability to acquire
acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways
Global Area of Biotech Crops in 2008: by Country (Million Hectares)
For the first time, there is a lead country commercializing Bt crops in each of
the 3 principal regions of the continent: South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt
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According to the United Nations, worldwide more than 900 million people are
undernourished. But this situation is expected to worse by 2050, when the
world’s population will increase by 50% and the world’s cultivable land will
decrease by 50%, placing new pressures on global agriculture.
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Many global organization have acknowledged the potential of biotechnology
to address food insecurity:
“the application of modern biotechnology in food and agriculture has the
potential to reduce some problems associated with food insecurity.”
2005, the World Health Organization’s Food Safety Department
“biotechnology can contribute to meeting the challenges” faced by poor
farmers and developing countries. UN officials indicated that agricultural
biotechnology is a complementary tool to traditional farming methods that can
help poor farmers and consumers, and improve food security”.
2004, The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization
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They recognized that biotechnology can play an important role in fighting food
insecurity by:
expanding and enhancing the global food supply (by increasing productivity
per hectare);
 decreasing cost of production (by decreasing the amounts of certain inputs,
i.e. less ploughing and fewer pesticide applications);
improving the economics of poor rural communities
and food access
50% of the world’s poorest people are small and resource-poor farmers, and another
20% are the rural landless completely dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Thus, increasing income of small and resource-poor farmers contributes directly to the
poverty alleviation of a large majority (70%) of the world’s poorest people. Biotech
cotton in India, China and South Africa and biotech maize in the Philippines and South
Africa have already made a significant contribution to the income of over 12 million
poor farmers.
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GMO Benefits:
Increased productivity and yield;
Who is applying GMO technique? Developing or developed
countries?
Does the yield go to the hungry?
 Reduced Production Cost :
 spray;
 chemicals;
 reduced or stable prices for consumers;
Who is gaining? Poor farmers, consumers or big companies?
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GMO Benefits:
Better control of:
 nutrition;
 allergy problems;
 insect pests;
 herbicides;
 disease resistance;
capability of surviving under harsh conditions.
Is the modification safe?
 Conserve natural resources, habitat and indigenous animal;
Can the soil stand the massive planning or it will eventually collapse?
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Country
Δ yield
Δ pesticides Δ profitability
India
31%
39%
US$250/ha
China
9.6%
60%
US$220/ha
South Africa
11%
60%
US$35/ha
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Negative effects on human health:
“Agrotoxicos” severely damaging (women loosing their children from
womb, stunts grow in children, respiratory problems for adults, cancers.….);
Transfer of allergenic genes/or antibiotic resistance and other unknown
effects;
The risk to have unauthorized GMO products in the food chain (e.g. gmo
intended for animal could be used accidentally in products for human
consumption).
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Negative effects on the environment:
Genes can end up in unexpected places: through the notion of “gene escape",
interactions might occur and problems result (e.g. herbicide resistance genes go
into weed);
Genes can mutate with harmful effects: it is not well known if it would
remain stable in the plant over generations;
GMOs could be a threat to other plants and wild species, flora and fauna
biodiversity.
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Negative socio economic effects:
Loss of farmers’ access to plant material and land: dominance by few private
powerful companies has negative impact on small – scale farmers all over the
world;
Intellectual property right could slow down research by preventing access to
public-sector research;
The impact of “terminator technologies” still under development but which if
applied would prevent a crop from being grown the following year from its
own seed.
Failed expectations (India/Monsanto)
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“Agriculture is a vital development tool for achieving the Millennium Development
Goals that calls for halving by 2015 the share of people suffering from extreme
poverty and hunger” (World Bank, 2008).
GMOs
ACCESS
TO A REGULAR
STREAM OF TECHNOLOGY
Millennium Development Goals
CREDIT ACCESS
MARKET ACCESS
EQUAL
RISK REDUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
OF RESOURCES
ADJUSTMENT
OF DESTORTING TRADE POLICIES
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fofKzn6qSo
Shatha Daqaq - Florine Etame - Chiara Marenco