Things that Can Help End World Hunger

Genetically modified foods have become present everywhere over the past few years. It is a breakthrough that allows humans to change and add manipulated genes to crops or alter or replace a gene to get a wanted trait, but it has turned into a heavily debated issue, especially for developing countries. Some people believe that these foods not only provide significant amounts of benefits to feed those in poverty in those countries, but they can also be a source of proper nutrition. In third world countries, malnutrition is a major cause of death, among the poor. For example of a solution, scientists have created a strain of yellow rice containing high amounts of vitamin A and many other nutrients. Also, genetically modified crops are seeped in herbicides and pesticides, and other treatments to help growth and survival of the crop, but then again so are regular crops. So if that is the call of complaints, maybe people should find out how the crops they consider natural are planted. Though there are many, including the large manufactures who claim GMOs are going to save the poor from starving such as in Africa. Africa has a different story to tell. Similarly, delegates from 18 African countries at a meeting of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization responded these claims with a clear statement: We strongly object that the image of the poor and hungry from our countries is being used by giant multinational corporations to push a technology that is neither safe, environmentally friendly, nor economically beneficial to us. We do not believe that such companies or gene technologies will help our farmers to produce the food that is needed On the contrary it will undermine our capacity to feed ourselves. (Earth Island Journal) According to Harvard University, the process is more straightforward than you will see on the internet and this process actually is producing results. In the past 10 years production of the staples such as beans and corn have increased nearly 30 percent. (Feeding the World One Genetically Modified Tomato at a Time: A Scientific Perspective) Staples are becoming hybrids of themselves, containing genes from Bacillus thuringiensis that work to control a number of serious problems such as insect pesticide and are now being utilized commercially in the United States. Using these will slowly get rid of the need to use those harmful insecticides. Improvements and great progress also has been made in the development of bettering staple foods such as corn and beans. The development of these plants could lead to a reduction in overall herbicide use. This should have both economic and environmental advantages, in theory. (Ending World Hunger. The Promise of Biotechnology and the Threat of Antiscience Zealotry) The first thing to do if we truly want to end world hunger is accept this claim introduced by large corporations. This claim has no scientific backing whatsoever. The second barrier is the lack of research funds for agriculture and biodiversity (the variety of crops) and it is important to find solutions compatible with funding for research in genetic alteration of crops. Favoring biodiversity does not deny access to any future utilization of technology in the biological field but favoring biotechnology threatens future advances in biodiversity. (Feeding the world: genetically modified crops versus agricultural biodiversity) In other words, if we keep favoring the GMOs, we are stumping evolution and the natural order of things, therefore plant life will become severely limited. We will technically put the natural selection process in our hands. Whether or not this will be a good thing is yet to be seen. According to the Huffington Post, millions of children die due to inefficiencies in certain vitamins. (Can GMOs Help End World Hunger?) If we can stop these children from dying, I think it is worth the risks. Nothing values over human life. Sorry, plants.

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