Genetically Modified
Crops and the
Third World
Allison Miller
“Worrying about starving future generations
won’t feed the world. Food biotechnology will.”
--Monsanto advertising campaign, 1998
Genetic Modification vs.
Traditional Plant Breeding

Genetic Modification (rDNA Methods)
◦ Can use genes from any living organism
◦ Can modify one gene or several genes

Traditional Plant Breeding
◦ Can only cross with closely related species
◦ Many genes are modified at once
Source: Lemaux 2008
Need for GM crops and
Biotechnology

Food and Agricultural Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) estimates that:
◦ 842 million worldwide are underfed
◦ 798 million live in developing nations
◦ World population is expected to reach 9 billion
by 2050
Source: Sairam and Prakash 2010
“The affluent nations can afford to adopt
elitist positions and pay more for food
produced by the so called natural
methods; the 1 billion chronically poor
and hungry people of this world cannot.
New technology will be their salvation,
freeing them from obsolete, low-yielding,
and more costly production technology.”
--Norman Borlaug
Source: Borlaug 2000
“To feed a world of 9 billion people in
2050…Africa has to increase its food
production by 300%, Latin America by 80%,
and Asia by 70%. Even North America would
have to increase food production by 30% to
feed its own projected population of 348
million people. Without an increase in farm
productivity, an additional 1.6 billion hectares
of arable land will be needed by 2050”
-- R.V. Sairam and C.S. Prakash
Source: Sairam and Prakash 2010
Examples of GM Crops

Herbicide tolerant (HT)

Pest resistant (Bt)

Other traits
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Soybean
Corn/Maize
Cotton
Canola
Alfalfa
◦ Cotton
◦ Corn/Maize
◦ Potatoes
◦ Increased nutrient content
◦ Virus resistance
◦ Drought tolerance
Source: James 2009, Lemaux 2008
Global Area of GM Crops By Crop
Source: James 2009
Source: James 2009
Contribution to Sustainable
Development in Developing
Nations
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Food security
Conservation of biodiversity
Alleviation of poverty and hunger
Prevention of disease and malnutrition
Reduction of agriculture’s environmental
footprint
Economic benefits
Source: James 2009
Food Security

Increases productivity
◦ Increases yields
◦ Lowers food prices

Decreases production cost
◦ Fewer inputs
◦ Less labor
Source: James 2009
Conservation of Biodiversity

Decreases land required
◦ Helps maintain plant biodiversity
◦ Reduces environmental degradation
 Deforestation

Reduces amount of pesticide used
◦ Helps maintain insect biodiversity
Sources: James 2009, Lemaux 2009
Alleviation of Poverty and
Hunger

Increases income for farmers
◦ Means to purchase food

Increases availability of food
◦ Reduces absolute hunger
Source: James 2009
Prevention of Disease and
Malnutrition

Reduces exposure to harmful chemicals
◦ Pesticides

Increases nutrient content of food
◦ Decreases micronutrient malnutrition
 Disease
◦ Vitamin A Deficiency
◦ Golden Rice
Source: James 2009, Lemaux 2008
Reduction of Agriculture’s
Environmental Footprint

Fewer inputs
◦ Pesticides
◦ Water

Reduces/eliminates plowing
◦ Reduces CO2 emissions
◦ Prevents degradation of soil
Source: James 2009
Economic Benefits

Global net economic benefits
◦ Developing nations earned $22 billion from
1996 to 2007
Source: James 2009
Case Studies

Insect Resistant Cotton (Bt)
◦ China
 Yields increased by 10%
 Pesticide usage decreased by 67%
 Net profit increased by $500/hectare
◦ India
 Yields increased by 40%
 Pesticide usage decreased by 50%
 Net profit increased from $75/hectare to
$200/hectare
Source: James 2009
The Future of GM Crops

Pest resistance
◦ Fungus resistant potatoes

Agronomic performance
◦ Rice with higher photosynthetic capacity

Abiotic stress tolerance
◦ Tomatoes with tolerance to high salt content

Improvements in food quality
◦ Potatoes with increased calcium levels
◦ Tomatoes with increased folate levels

Medical applications
◦ Potato-based Hep B vaccine
Source: James 2009
References
Borlaug, Norman. “Ending World Hunger: The Promise of Biotechnology and
the Threat of Antiscience Zealotry.” Plant Physiology. 124.2 (2000): 487490.
James, Clive. “2009 ISAAA Report on Global Status of Biotech/GM Crops”.
ISAAA Briefs No. 41. 1-9.
James, Clive. “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2008.”
ISAAA Briefs No. 39 (2008): 1-275.
Lemaux, Peggy G. “Genetically Engineered Plants and Foods: A Scientist's
Analysis of the Issues (Part I).” Annual Review of Plant Biology. 59.
(2008): 771-812.
Lemaux, Peggy G. “Genetically Engineered Plants and Foods: A Scientist's
Analysis of the Issues (Part II).” Annual Review of Plant Biology. 60.
(2009): 511-559.
Sairam, R. V. and C. S. Prakash. “OBPC Symposium: Maize 2004 & Beyond:
Can Agricultural Biotechnology Contribute to Global Food Security?”. In
Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant. 41.4 (2005): 424-430.