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In the next several decades, the United Nations projects population growth will increase by about 73 million people a year and contribute to an increased demand for food. However, approximately 800 million people globally are already food insecure – meaning they live every day with hunger and the fear of starvation.

“Maybe we should begin with what's really important – namely that every minute that we sit here, 10 preschool children will die from hunger and malnutrition. … If you add that up on an annual basis, it’s about 6 million preschool kids who die unnecessarily. They die because they don’t have access to enough food,” says Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, the H.E. Babcock Professor of Food, Nutrition and Public Policy and Professor of Applied Economics at Cornell University, 2001 World Food Prize Laureate and catalyst behind the 2020 Vision Initiative.

“800 million people, all together, do not know where their next meal is coming from,” continues Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen, a vocal advocate for increased research to support food production and policy surrounding it, including the use of crops developed through genetic engineering that can increase food production. “And I remind you that 75 percent of the people we’re talking about are in rural areas. If we want to help them to escape poverty, we’ve got to help them to produce more on the resources that they have. … And, that’s why agriculture research is so extremely important.”

The majority of the poor and malnourished in the world depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods – making it essential for small farmers in developing countries to become more productive. The current food insecurity level is despite agricultural productivity throughout the 20th century that lifted millions from poverty by increasing yields, improving nutrition and generating income among resource-poor farmers. Research indicates that highly productive agriculture has the potential to benefit whole economies – increasing income and improving the economics of family farms, creating jobs and improving livelihoods for farm families.

“If we can develop drought-tolerant material that small farmers can plant in their environment, they can produce something the next time the drought comes around,” explains Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen on one of the advantages of genetic engineering to increase food production.

“When the drought comes right now, the farmer loses his or her crop, and a child dies. … Now, if you are the woman who is trying to feed her kids and a drought hits, she wants a solution to the problem – whether it’s genetically modified or otherwise is of less importance to her. She wants a solution,” continues Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen. “Remember that the 10 children that died last minute – they died. That's not reversible. So, we have to compare the benefits with the risks.”

In a 2000 report on the role of genetic engineering or biotechnology in meeting global food needs, the National Academies and six other international scientific organizations stated that, “GM technology, coupled with important developments in other areas, should be used to increase the production of main food staples, improve the efficiency of production, reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, and provide access to food for small-scale farmers.” Other groups have issued similar findings, including the International Food Policy Research Institute, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

The demand for increased cereal production cannot simply be met by expansion in cultivated area. Unfortunately, the growth in farmers’ cereal yields is slowing, and the burden of meeting increased demand for cereal rests on improvement in crop yields. A combination of innovative technologies and sound policies will be needed to close the global food gap.

“So, the question really is: Are we going to apply science to help farmers to produce more on the land that is suited for agriculture?” questions Dr. Pinstrup-Andersen. “Shouldn’t they use the best science can offer to solve their problems – meaning hunger, malnutrition? Of course they should. But, we don’t seem to all agree on that.”

© 2007 Monsanto Company. All rights reserved. The copyright holder consents to the use of this material and the images in the published context only and solely for the purpose of promoting the benefits of agricultural biotechnology.