The Role of Plant Genetic Engineering in Global Security

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Benefits of Genetic Engineering in Agricultural Sector
Agro Biotechnology Can Alleviate Hunger and Poverty
Agro-Biotechnological Legislation
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The world’s stability in politics strongly relies on various factors. Although it can be conveniently stated that the adequacy, abundance and reliability of the global food supply has a major role to play in the enhancement of human life, in the long run, they influence the stability of the world’s politics. The globalizing sequence that has been witnessed in the sector of Agriculture together with the contemporary transformation of the world political economy is currently recognized by various policymakers as well as concerned citizens. New Zealand as my country has been part of the process.

The increase of food and livestock production since the early nineteen sixties has led to sufficiency of the words food supply which is necessary to provide humans with the energy necessary for sustained humanity. However, about eight hundred and twenty million individuals have the challenge of accessing adequate food which in turn has led to hundreds of children becoming seriously underweight in respect to their age and generally led to massive morbidity and mortality in various parts of the world. At the end of the twentieth century, amazing scientific and philosophical advances in agricultural productivity have not translated into a planet free of malnutrition and hunger (Gepts, 2002).

The recent vast development in modern science gives man kind a strong instrument that can bring to an end the current food insecurity. It is through increased knowledge and practice of better technologies in agriculture and food management that the world can substantially get rid of food insecurity. In the pursuit of addressing the above-mentioned problem and increasing the production of food for all, then there is a dire need for policymakers in agriculture and land use to reconsider the current status quo and change it for the better. Modern scientific practices which are proven and viable have to be put into use, one of this is the use of bio technological interventions.

Modern farming biotechnology is one of the most capable developments in contemporary science. If this technology is used in collaboration with other methods such as conventional and traditional production and breeding methods, it can lead to the increase in production of crops, it can also raise the resistance of crops to diseases and pests, increase the tolerance of crops to extreme weather conditions, improve the value of nutrition in some foods, and augment the durability of foodstuffs for the duration of harvesting or transportation (Campbell, M. Fitzgerald, A. et al, 2002). With sensible safety system, this can be done with slight or no risk to human being’s wellbeing and the surroundings.

Benefits of Genetic Engineering in Agricultural Sector

In order to address the current food insecurity in the United States of America, We definitely need a new system of agriculture that really meets the needs of the American people now and in the future. This then means that the country should have interventions in place aimed at producing food in a way which can be in sufficient supplies and in adequate quantities.

But the current trends today have shown that many countries including the United States of America always have focused in making short term decisions which are driven by generation of profits instead of fixing the problem once and for all. A vision of changing the agricultural sector in ways which can make the sector more sustainable looks like a big challenge to many countries of the world including ours, but it is a vision which can be achieved (Suppan, 2006). Importantly for us to accomplish change we have to critically understand where we are and know where we are supposing to go.

Biotechnology is the answer to the food security challenges our country is experiencing today, the technology mentioned can enable much larger populations of people to feed themselves. By biotechnology in agriculture we mean that crops and animals which are consumed by man should undergo intensive research aimed at their betterment and enhancement of more yields from them.

Genetic engineering is used to modify the gene compositions of microorganisms, animals and plants. The genes isolation is an activity that is ongoing, these genes are currently only being used to modify crops, and some productive food animals for increased yields and higher performance. Just like any other product, the genetically modified food products usually go through intensive development and research before they are allowed into the market for use or consumption. It is important to note that many products which show visible signs of causing harm if they are released never emerge from the development and research pipeline. Hence there is a safety mitigation protocol observed and by so doing there is no need of worrying about the uncertainties associated agro biotechnology.

Biotechnologically engineered plants can play a vital role in improving the current problems of food security and food prices in our country today (Suppan,2006). The technology can lead to abundance of variety of food supply through initiatives such as having more yields from less acreage of land and unexpectedly lower the cost of production through realized reduction in the cost of production and plant management such as reduced pesticide use and lowered weeding practices. Almost all the farming practices such as harrowing and pesticide application are dependant on machinery. On the other hand the machinery uses fossil fuel. Therefore the proposed agro-biotechnological practices will cut down the fuel consumption and the general cost of farming.

In our country statistics show that among the economic gains we experienced between 1996 to 2007, forty four percent of the gains were due to substantial produce gains and fifty six percent was due to reduction in the cost of production.

In the year 2007, the whole of the crop yields gains on a global scale came from the four principal biotechnological plants which include maize, soybean, canola and cotton was thirty two million tons, which could have been yields from extra ten million hectares of land if the biotechnological plants were not deployed. The thirty two million tons of increased plant yields coming from the biotechnological plants in our country in the year two thousands and eight comprised of fifteen point one million tons of maize, fourteen point five million tons of soybean, two million tons of cotton lint and a half a million tons of canola.

For the period stretching from the year nineteen ninety six to the year two thousands and seven economic gains were one hundred and forty one million tons which could have definitely used an additional forty three million hectares of land if the biotechnological crops were not present (Brookes, 2009), Thus, this statistics which are just a tip of the iceberg of the gains which our country could benefit from biotechnology.

The county has already benefited substantially from the increased productivity and lowered costs of food production from the current biotechnological plants in our farms across the nation. Hence it is quit clear that there is need to invest more in biotechnology in order to have diversified crops and animals which have enormous potential for our future human population. The generation to come will highly depend on the technology as this would be the only surest way of succeeding as far as farming is concerned. (Falk, C. M. Chassy, K. S. et al, 2002).

The developments in the control of a biotic stresses has shown tangible proposed reality which is aimed to addressing the probable droughts which might cover many regions of the nation and the world due to change in global climate. A food crop such as rice which is the most important food for the worlds poor populations has been modified and offers a brighter future to addressing the food security problems which the world is currently facing or might likely to face in the near future. The biotechnological rice offers many promises such as increasing its supply and reducing its price at the market and also provides sufficient nutrition such as vitamin A. this development in biotechnology with much approval can lead to lowered food prices, adequacy in the market and also alleviation of poverty (J. Huang, 2002).

Agro Biotechnology Can Alleviate Hunger and Poverty

Half of the global poorest individuals are usually resource deficient and small scale farmers and another twenty percent of the population are located in the rural areas and completely rely on agriculture in order to drive their lives and their livelihoods. Thus, any interventions which can raise the income of small scale farmers can really contribute directly to lowering or completely alleviation of poverty of the seventy percent of the globe’s poor people.

At the moment biotechnological cotton and maize have already shown pleasant contributions towards the income of many poor farmers and this can be increased drastically before the deadline for achieving the millennium development goals in the year two thousands and fifteen. Biotechnological rice is one plant which many poor people believe is a blessing in disguise, since the plant has benefit two hundred and fifty million rice households in the continent of Asia, and up to one billion individuals if we take a base of four members per a particular household with a half a hectare of rice grown these individuals can make at least a dollar day and sustain their wellbeing comfortably (Gepts, P. 2002).

To be able to attain poverty alleviation before the deadline set for millennium development goals, it is certain that poverty which is wide spread in our globe and affects all the facets of life should be gotten rid off, and the agro biotechnology seems to be a true answer to the alleviation of poverty, huger and suffering which in turn will lead to enjoyment of life and increased human productivity in the world.

The most crucial constraint to the implementation of biotechnological plants in many parts of the world including our country is need of suitable time/cost-effective and responsible legislation and thresholds that can incorporate all the information, knowledge and experience of the thirteen years of regulation. At the moment regulatory mechanisms and systems in most countries seems unnecessarily cumbersome.

In some cases it is quite hard to implement the system necessary for approving products which can be as much as one million dollar to deregulate. This scenario is beyond the scope of many countries and hence there is need to come up with realistic legislations and policies which can easily be taken up to enhance the implementation of the beneficial products. The eventual outcome would be an increased level of food production. This can eventually lead to feeding of all the people of the nation and the world at large.

Agro-Biotechnological Legislation

In the world today, many countries have the absolute freedom of formulating ways of dealing with bio safety and genetic technologies at the national level, but the national laws have to be the same as those of the world trade organization. On a global scale there are also some instruments used to check the field of biotechnology such as the bio safety protocol of Cartagena (Suppan, 2006). The interaction between the national and the international instruments brings a completely complex scenario. This hardened situation is probably the reason why the world can not solve the food insecurity situation that currently exists, since if biotechnological interventions which have shown to have potential impact of addressing the stated problem could be implemented then there could be sustainable and adequate supply of food for every individual in the world.

Conclusion

The adoption of new technologies which should be supported by appropriate public policies and services can prove the doomsday predictors wrong, and can make the state address the ever challenging food insecurity by putting in place the appropriate biotechnological practices.

We should learn from the past worlds historical events and forge a head into meeting the potential challenges of our time and of the future. 4000 thousand years of wheat farming made the Indian farmers to get yields of six million tons of wheat in the year 1947 on the other hand biotechnology applications in wheat assisted in surpassing the six tones of wheat which had been an effort of the 4000 years in just 4 years (Gepts, 002). This shows the power of synergy that can result if science and public policy is utilized and integrated well.

There are still open chances of harnessing the power of the above mentioned synergy in order to address the contemporary issues such as the food insecurity, hunger and poverty. Whether in addressing ecology or in economic problems gathered experience shows that a top down approach can’t sufficiently work out in fixing the problems. Information technology is of great help today as it has sufficiently provided great opportunities which reach many.

The future of small scale farmers and families certainly depends on the correct measures we take today in agriculture, this involves the use of the correct inputs doing the farming at the right time and using the right procedures. Biotechnology will certainly play a vital role in providing the right input components of farming through such aspects as soil health care, gene management, resourceful water management, incorporated pest management, included nutrient delivery and capable post harvest practices.

References

Brookes, G. (2009). Genetically Modified Crops: World Social- Economic and Ecological Impacts. UK: Economics Ltd.

Campbell, M. Fitzgerald, A. et al (2002). Pathogen resistance engineering in plants, transgenic study 11:599.

Falk, C. M. Chassy, K. S. et al. (2002). Food & Agricultural biotechnology: Concerns and benefits. Article of Nutrition 131:1383.

Gepts, P. (2002). Comparison of Traditional Crop Propagation, Plant Domestication and Crop Biotechnology, Crop Science 42:1780.

J. Huang, Pray, C. and Rozelle, S. (2002), Increasing the Food to feed the poor. Nature 418:678.

Suppan, S (2006). The World Trade Organization: Cartagena Protocol and EC- Biotechnological Products Ruling. Institution for Agriculture and Commerce Policy.

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