Biobusiness: Agriculture and the Environment

Today we recognised and addressed the concern that in light of the world's skyrocketing population, there is a growing constraint on food supply. We established that GM food may very well be the solution to this problem. It increases the productivity of food production processes and increases the yield of our crops without compromising on the the resources available for our future generations. Furthermore, the promises of GM food include crops that can be genetically engineered to provide human nutrition, crops that are resistant to environmental stresses and pests, and crops that are capable of producing vaccines or antibodies (Biopharming). Prof also introduced the "Structure, Function and Application" model where the success of any technology requires the transition of hard facts and knowledge into appropriate innovations that change the world. Increasingly, we find that more research is now being done in the area of waste management; how we can recycle our wastes, convert it back to raw materials and even use it as an energy source, such that we develop a sustainable production cycle (Eg. Flash Pyrolysis).

Some thoughts:

The problem of feeding millions of malnourished and undernourished people in developing countries is rife. Undoubtedly, GM food will play a crucial role in helping to nourish these people because with genetic engineering we are now able to develop crops that express certain nutrients originally not expressed in parent breeding lines, or nutrients that need to be increased in the amount needed to improve nutrition. Certainly, GM crops that have been tested to be viable should not be withheld from these poor people. However, I personally feel that there are limitations as too how far GM food can help re-nourish these people to a healthy state. Many of the GM foods currently available are specialised to contain a high amount of just one particular nutrition (Like Vitamin A for Golden Rice). Unfortunately, people suffering from one nutrient deficiency will also most likely be suffering from other nutrient deficiencies. Thus, at present, even if the GM foods reach developing countries, how successful will its tackling of one nutrient deficiency be when we are concerned with the lack of so many nutrients. The next step, and challenge, in genetically engineered food research is probably to try and pack a full meal's worth of nutrients into a stable crop like rice or corn. At the same time, we need to genetically engineer these crops to have a longer shelf life such that they can be kept for a longer period without going bad. Having said that, such research and development may take a considerably long time as most of the work today is still mainly focused on developing GM foods containing a high amount of a particular nutrient. Perhaps it would be more effective if we encouraged people to have a balanced diet including green leafy vegetables, fruits and proteins. That being said, more effort has to be put into making these other dietary essentials more accessible to them. 

Next,  GM food cannot and will not be the only answer to malnutrition. There are many reasons why people suffer from malnutrition; the situation is not as straightforward as many people make it out to be. It isn't a simple problem of people just not having enough food to eat because they are poor. Many of the poor remain so because there is also a lack of infrastructure, poor government involvement and initiative, civil wars, military dictatorships, lack of accessibility to markets etc etc. Efforts cannot be limited to GM foods. We need to have huge legal reforms to ensure an appropriate political structure for the distribution of resources, in particular food. Governments need to distribute arable/ productive land effectively and ensure that the poor get all the help they can get to possess basic necessities. Governments also need to encourage its people to diversify their diets and help them gain access to technologies and modern practices that will enable them to grow crops/animals rich in nutrients. The international community also needs to play their part by supporting the development of GM foods, bringing in and teaching locals useful technologies and encouraging its use in developing countries. There is only so much that GM foods can do to solve malnutrition. What the poor really need are, on top of GM foods, the knowledge and accessibility to technology that can enable them to independently grow their crops at a high yield. 

With regard to waste management, I feel that while many today strongly believe in the need to use alternative fuels (renewable sources) that have a less harmful impact on the environment, we also should not forget the need to improve on the currently flawed systems of waste disposal.  Turning to alternative fuels is easy because there isn't much of a change process; we just replace one fuel for another. However, the fact remains that such alternative fuels have yet to be developed or discovered (at least for natural resources) in large quantities to meet current energy requirements. Hence, at least for the short term, there is a more important need to improve on our current systems of waste disposal ie. while we are using the same energy sources like oil and coal and emitting the same type of harmful gases, we have to develop a method or technologies that minimise the emission of greenhouse gases or convert these harmful gases into less harmful ones. For example, there has been recent developments in the area of the disposal of gaseous exhaust from industrial processes.  Scientists are currently in the process of developing a system that separates carbon dioxide from flue gas, mimicking the human respiratory system. 


Key Takeaways:

1. To achieve sustainability, we really need to look into methods that enable us to convert waste products back into raw materials and ensure strict waste management programmes to reduce harm on the environment. 
2. We need biotechnology to achieve food security in the long run. With biotechnology, feeding the entire population on earth is no longer a myth. The challenges that biotechnology needs to address is, less of developing the GM crop per se and more of getting people to accept GM foods and enabling those we really need it to have access to the right technology.
3. I was particularly intrigued by the idea of using algae as a bio-fuel and how modern methods have enabled the growth of algae in 'closed tanks' which do not require sunlight. I am convinced of the promise of algae as a bio-fuel and I really think that this could be a very viable alternative energy source.

Overall Rating: 8/10