Gmos Alleviate Hunger and Improve Health

A renowned Kenyan scientist last week counseled agricultural researchers in Africa to focus more on the production of food with higher levels of vitamins and minerals instead of increasing yields.

Prof. Ruth Oniang’o of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) argued that quality, not quantity is what should count in the agricultural economy. This advice is wrong. Quality and quantity aren’t two mutually exclusive terms in the practice of agriculture.

The reality is that the world’s population is ever increasing without corresponding expansion of land for cultivation. The challenge that now faces us is to embrace modern agricultural technologies that will guarantee high yielding and nutritious foods.

Modern biotechnology, for example, has developed crop varieties that are both high yielding and nutritionally rich.

A case in point is genetically modified (GM) rice commonly known as “golden” rice. To alleviate Vitamin A deficiency, scientists have successfully inserted into rice a gene for making beta-carotene, a substance that the body can convert to this crucial vitamin. This rice trait also yields high, therefore assuring farmers double benefits.

Vitamin A deficiency, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is the leading cause of childhood blindness in most poor countries. Genetically modified rice rich in Vitamin A would be a boon to efforts to rid the world of childhood blindness.

There is also genetically modified maize laden with microorganisms raised using glucose from which Vitamin C can be produced. Vitamin C is crucial to our bodies. It prevents and cures disease scurvy and anemia.

Genetically modified maize yields high and is nutritious and this explains why it’s widely grown in countries such as the U.S., Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Spain and China.

Rather than exhorting farmers to lean towards quality, scientists should emphasize on quantity too. Genetically modified crops guarantee both.

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