Food security and genetically modified crops: oversimplified answers to complex riddles?

A. Tsioumanis

Food security and genetically modified crops: oversimplified answers to complex riddles?

In: Ethical futures: bioscience and food horizons

Author:

A. Tsioumanis

A. Tsioumanis Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Agricultural Development, Lahana 31, 54638, Thessaloniki, Greece; steriost@auth.gr

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 297–302

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086866731_051

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Although food security is not a new concern for a great part of the developing world, global food shortages start posing new questions, even for relatively economically stable nations. For the first time since the early seventies, market stability for a number of commodities is seriously questioned. Under the circumstances, the debate on the potential for adopting techniques of modern biotechnology to combat food insecurity is, once more, heating up. Agricultural productivity is essential in order to combat food insecurity. However, a series of observations reveals that increasing agricultural productivity may be necessary but does not constitute, by any means, a panacea. Characterising genetically modified crops as ‘the only solution’, due to alleged productivity gains, seems to ignore a series of questions that proponents of genetic modification are unable to answer. Furthermore, serious market distortions in the form of heavy subsidies in the past decades have rendered agricultural investment less profitable for many countries. The effect of protectionist policies has not ceased as it is obvious in the case of biofuel policies. This paper tackles the fluctuation of market prices of basic agricultural products that have surged to record levels recently and tries to address the complexity of factors behind this. Approaching the expectations arising from the applications of modern biotechnology in the field of agriculture, in the form of companies’ banners such as ‘we will feed the world’; the paper concludes that they will not be able to fulfil their promises.

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Ethical futures: bioscience and food horizons

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086866731

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 30 Oct 2009

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- Life Sciences

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Food security and genetically modified crops: oversimplified answers to complex riddles?

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Ethical futures: bioscience and food horizons

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