Feeding the World Through Biotechnology
Solutions to Feed the Children Around the World
About 850 million people around the world are suffering from malnutrition and starvation. Most of the people who suffer from this are children in third world countries. Today we have about 7-8 billion people on Earth, and because the world's population is expanding it is important that we make sure that there will be enough food for everyone. About 40% of the Earth's arable lands are becoming acidic. Meaning we will not be able to use this land to produce crops for everyone around the world. (1,2)
In these pictures they show the reality of malnutrition and hunger in third world countries which could be resolved through G.M. crops (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.11)
In the photo above, it shows the countries that are suffering from hunger in 2012
Map of population density around the world
Estimated population growth within the next 40 years
Solution 1. Nutrionally Enhanced Crops
Nutritionally enhanced crops (NEC) are crops that have an increased nutrition content. Most NEC produced have a form of a higher content of vitamins and minerals. Nutritionally enhanced crops have an opportunity to help ease malnutrition in underdeveloped countries. With the ability to be genetically engineered to contain more nutritional value, they can help underdeveloped countries with malnutrition. Most under develped countries have a one crop based diet which prevents them from obtaining the right amount of nutrition needed. (3)
Solution 2. Salt & Drought Tolerant Crops
About 20 % of arable land is now being affected by salinity and is increasing every year. Because of salinity the cropland is now producing less yields or is no longer able to produce yields. Around the world there is starting to be a water scarcity. As a result, food systems around the world are in peril. Solutions to these challenges are salt and drought tolerant crops. Salt tolerant crops are engineered to function in saline environments and can absorb water with more salt in them. Drought tolerant crops are resistant to environments with less water and can be grown in places where people are in need of food. (4,5)
Solution 3. Edible Vaccines
Edible vaccines help with underdeveloped countries with cost effective, easy to administer, easy to store, fail safe and socioculturally readily acceptable vaccine delivery system. Edible vaccine are produced through a selection of desired genes into plants and then inducing these altered plants to manufacture the encoded protein. With edible vaccines we are able to aid third world countries in preventing diseases. (6)
- An example of edible vaccines are bananas