Narrowing the demand and supply gap

By Babar Ayaz

A recent report says that almost one billion people are facing hunger in the world. In human terms, it means every sixth person is sleeping hungry everyday in the word. And there is more likelihood that a great majority of these malnutrition people are in poor countries of Asia, Africa and South America. The world population is expected to grow to 9 or 10 billion in the next 50 years (as the United Nations projects). In that case, hunger will definitely become both an economic and physical reality for the world, unless world food output is not increased.

The worst hit again would be the people in the developing countries, including Pakistan. So the most important question before the world is how employ science for raising the food output. Some people in the west and idealists in developing countries resent this, not withstanding the fact that without using new technologies the world would have been in the worst situation than what it is today.

An option for raising food output is to employ biotechnology as part of the solution for feeding the world. Modern biotechnology refers to various scientific techniques used to produce specific desired traits in plants, animals or micro-organisms through the use of genetic knowledge. Since its introduction to agriculture and food production in the early-1990, biotechnology has been utilized to develop new tools such as genetic engineering for improving productivity. In 2005, twenty-one countries planted biotech crops covering a total of 222 million acres. These crops include soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, papaya, and squash that are improved versions of the traditional varieties. Commercial production of transgenic crops is only authorized when environmental and consumer safety is demonstrated.

Biotechnology is a powerful tool that will significantly increase our ability to produce the quantities of food that our growing world population will need. Biotech crops agronomic benefits include improved management practices and greater profitability of farming operations. They include increased yields, lower production costs (for example, lower seed, pesticide or herbicide costs), improved soil fertility, and reduced use of water.

Increasing food production most often means the ability to produce better yields under the same conditions or, more generally, the ability to better resist weeds, insects and diseases. Many important improvements have been achieved by ordinary breeding, but it is a slow process.

Biotechnology could provide seed to farmers that are better adapted to their cultivation requirements. The engineered seeds will have the added benefit of pest resistance and tolerance to extreme environmental conditions such as drought that are needed to sustain village farms. Somewhat related to the question of the quantity of food is its quality that is, whether it delivers the vitamins and minerals required to maintain human health. Here, too, genetic engineering can help. Recently, rice has been developed by public sector researchers, with added beta carotene (which is converted into vitamin A in the human body) and increased iron levels.

The precise agronomic performance of a given variety depends on the growing location, weather, and other factors. Fortunately, the positive impact of biotechnology on crop performance translates into benefits for the environment. Both large and small farmers benefit from growing biotech crops. The relative benefits for small farmers in developing countries tend to be larger, since insect or disease protected crops often provide new and previously unavailable tools for these farmers to protect their crops

Since 1996 biotech crops have added volumes to global production of corn, cotton, canola and soybeans. In developing countries, the additional income derived from biotech crops has enabled more farmers to consistently meet their food supply needs as well as contributed to feed about 310 million people for a year. The environmental benefit include the greenhouse gas emissions reduction derived from reduced fuel use due to less frequent insecticide application and a reduction in the use in soil cultivation. 

Biotechnology basically facilitates increased yields and lower production costs. There is improved yield through improved pest control. Moreover, crop performance and pest management, benefits of biotechnology, translate into economic benefits for farmers, as well as environmental benefits.

Biotechnology is making a significant impact on food production, with great potential for future advancements. A strong regulatory system is in place in the U.S. based on the broad consensus regarding safety among the scientific community. Biotechnology is extremely advanced and more precise than conventional techniques used to produce food.  By making agriculture efficient and more productive, biotechnology is helping make this a reality.