GMO Africa

Try modern technologies to deal with food crisis

The United Nations (UN), today, acknowledged that food shortages threaten the lives of millions of people, especially in the developing world.

Through its Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the UN called for concerted efforts to find a permanent solution to chronic food shortages that have hit the developing world most.

But first, Moon will next week assemble representatives of key UN agencies to explore immediate steps that can be taken to address the problem.

The UN’s move is more than welcome. The world needs to deal with the problem of food shortages once and for all. It’s unacceptable for some populations to go without food while others spend sleepless nights looking for ways of dealing with obesity.

In our quest to deal with food crisis, we must place every on the table. Salient in our quest for a lasting solution to the food crisis will be to use every available technology. The New York Times, this week published a very interesting article on how crop genetic engineering can play a pivotal role in enhancing global food sustainability.

In his address, secretary general Moon mentioned that drought is one of the factors that have contributed to the current food crisis. Lately, scientists, through genetic engineering, have developed genetically modified crops that can grow in drought areas. Countries that don’t receive adequate rainfall can take advantage of such crops.

And the UN has a very big role to play in ensuring this succeeds. First, it must wage massive education campaigns in developing countries on the need for using new technologies in farming. Secondly, rather than spending billions of dollars every year airlifting food aid to poor countries, the UN should consider helping poor farmers acquire improved seeds. By doing so, the UN will be reducing poor countries’ dependence on food aid.