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Why the Developing World Needs a New Food Deal
Globe and Mail, March 26, 2009, Sylvain Charlebois

Surging food prices around the world last year wreaked havoc among the global poor. Economic conditions triggered riots in the tropics, including Cameroon, and the government fell in Haiti. Developing countries are significantly vulnerable to external economic and political factors, but they may have scientific means of taking more control over food production.

Given the prospect of growing populations and unpredictable markets, developing countries are seeking ways to produce more commodities with fewer resources. For a growing number of farmers in the southern hemisphere, particularly Africa, genetically engineered crops may provide the best possible solution to increasing food costs.

Some advocacy groups conjure up the spectre of Frankenfoods to support claims these foods should be outlawed. Worrisomely, many developing countries appear to believe these groups when they say genetically engineered foods can't play a key role in dealing with world hunger. As a result, there is resistance to developing this food technology.

But evidence supporting the use of genetically engineered crops to cope with climate change and economic challenges is now overwhelming. Even Europe is shifting.

Agricultural experts concur that conventional methods are no longer sufficient. With the Earth's population set to exceed nine billion by 2050, farmable land is vanishing.

Erosion could also become a significant factor. Recent predictions suggest that poor countries could lose more than 135 million hectares of arable land over the next 50 years.

These regions are in dire need of pest-resistant crops because of unforgiving climate patterns. Of course, there are risks when dealing with genetically engineered foods, as there is with any new technology. But, so far, no evidence of health dangers has been found from growing or eating approved engineered crops.

Undoubtedly, any ecological or health consequences of these products need to be constantly monitored.

But the bottom line is, all crops are the result of some type of DNA alteration, and activists who denounce the manipulation of crop DNA as unnatural should recall the history of agriculture and think about the human costs of their stands.

Another issue with genetically engineered food is the dominant role of multinationals. While increased corporate concentration is inevitable, its ramifications must be addressed.

Biotechnological research led by multinationals toward actually increasing agricultural output is negligibly small, compared with the development of engineered seed stocks that are herbicide-tolerant and pest-resistant.

This practice enables the industry to offer the sale of its seed stocks, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides as integrated package solutions to farmers without acknowledging the need for more useful products.

As a result, agriculture in the southern hemisphere is becoming economically more dependent and ecologically more vulnerable, while wealthier countries are becoming economically independent and more prosperous. So it is relevant to view biotechnology in the contexts of North-South relations, a globalized market economy, cultural diversity and economic asymmetry.

More endowed countries such as Canada have a role to play. Science has improved our quality of life, and developing countries should benefit as well. There is a growing need to address the problems of the developing world through funding for technical support to set up regulatory systems and bio-safety measures, and to develop agribiotech research and development suitable to those countries' needs. Canada has valuable expertise in biotechnology and can make a difference.

Africa is now the only continent in the world with a growing number of people suffering from hunger. That in itself is good news, but more should be done for Africa and the developing world so they can cope with agricultural scarcities.

A new deal is slowly emerging, one that expands our notion of "us" to include the entire human race. As a result, genetically engineered foods must be allowed to develop so our globalized economy can flourish.

Editor’s Note: Sylvain Charlebois is associate dean, Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business at the University of Regina