Seed Today - Q3 2008 - (Page 77)

Perspectives on Biotech Starved for Science Poor farmers in Africa are getting bad advice today from prosperous countries in Europe and North America. Africans are being told by activist organizations from Europe such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth that they should not trust modern agricultural science, and should rely instead on their own traditional crop varieties and techniques. Too bad, since without modern agricultural science farmers in Africa today have crop yields only one tenth as high as in Europe, earn on average only one dollar a day, and one third are malnourished. Food production in Africa has fallen ominously behind population growth. Total farm production per capita is nearly 20 percent lower today than it was 35 years ago. As a consequence, Africa must depend more and more on imported food aid. Yet, rich countries have mostly stopped providing assistance for agricultural modernization in Africa. As late as 1980, the U.S. Agency for International Development was still devoting 25 percent of its development assistance to agriculture, but last year it was just one percent. It is understandable if overfed Americans and overfed Europeans come to the conclusion that they don’t need any more agricultural science for themselves at home, but this is an attitude they should not be exporting to underfed Africa. Robert Paarlberg, summarizing the theme of his new book: Starved for Science, How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of Africa ”It is proteins, not DNA, that carry out the cell’s heavy lifting.” Harvard Medical School press release, July 22, 2008. Logic War The general logic that differentiates the U.S. and the E.U. regulatory approaches is also expressed in attitudes with respect to GMO foods. The United States is a much greater proponent of GMOs and U.S. consumers are much less concerned about their potential impacts than our European counterparts, who continue to push for bans and much greater limitations. But in this instance I think the U.S. perspective may actually be more in line with the evidence. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, the world’s leading agricultural think tank, the potential for beneficial uses of GMOs justifies their continued development and experimentation. While the United States would be wise to adopt more of the European approach to industrial chemicals, I think the European Union would be wise to set aside their ideological opposition to GMOs and take a more measured approach. Jason D. Scorse writing in Grist, August 07, 2008 “It is hoped that, over time, hypo-allergenic food products from genetically engineered plants will reach market shelves.” Mohan Singh and Prem Bhalla, University of Melbourne. GE in NZ “I think we are entering a new phase, dominated by environmental issues, climate change and rising demand, and unless new varieties are introduced we are not going to be able to feed the world. Although many consumers opposed GE crops, to improve the productivity of crops and the animals they fed, GE holds the most promise. I do believe that we need to work together as society to help this happen.” Dr. Barry O’Neil, New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry deputy director-general Sunflower Oil "While sunflower breeders work on developing hybrids with altered oil quality, medical scientists in general and nutritionists in particular will determine the parameters for the use of these novel types of oil that can improve human nutrition and be used in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases." Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology No Panacea “I don’t believe that GM is a panacea but it is part of the solution. When you consider that 33 percent of the African population is undernourished and population continues to increase, what can you do? We think we can help,” Professor Howard Atkinson, Leeds University, West Yorkshire, England “GM crops have helped U.S. farmers to increase yields by 30 percent over the past 10 years.” Brent Erickson, Executive VP, U.S. Biotechnology Industry Organization Third Quarter 2008 77

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Seed Today - Q3 2008

Seed Today - Q3 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Cover Feature Fred Miller, Ph.D., MMR Genetics Crosbyton Seed Company AOSCA Greg Lowry Floyd Hansmeirer AOSA/SCST According to ASTA Seedsellers, Inc. BinMaster Blake Sieker Ad Index

Seed Today - Q3 2008

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