Can Biotechnology Solve World Hunger?

By Author: Jaye
Total Articles: 7

Hunger and scarcity of food is one of the major problems in most of the developing countries. Moreover with the increased food price in the developing countries, more than 100 million people are suffering from scarcity of food and hunger. So these are the major recurring challenges that have tackled for centuries. To overcome from these issues, new technologies have enabled the significant changes for improving the quality of life.

Today’s modern molecular biotechnology has enabled new solution to overcome from these challenges. The evolution of molecular biotechnology industry has substantially increased its efforts to find alternative to synthetic food and new innovations on the conventional plant breeding technologies. Also the advanced biotechnology offers an exciting and environmentally new way to reach the customer demand for sustainable agriculture growth.

Here we shall have a brief discussion on modern biotechnology and how it solves world hunger.

1. Prevent Hunger And Malnutrition

The term malnutrition is the medical terminology for the people who are all suffering from the hunger. As per the recent survey from the Agricultural Organization, more than 900 million people suffering from malnutrition in worldwide. Children are the major victims for the malnutrition. To overcome from this researchers have created Golden Rice which contains three new genes. This rice is available for mass distribution at low cost. This is just one sample, there are hundreds of new biotech products which prevent hunger and malnutrition.

2. Longer Lasting Produce

Most of the food products will spoil soon, especially in areas with limited transportation and refrigeration capability. But the biotech products could reduce looses to spoilage. In most of the developing countries, farmers can get benefits from crops with delayed ripening fruits or vegetables. This also allows greater flexibility in distribution of products in remote places.

3. Nutritionally Rich Food

Molecular biotechnology researchers have developed nutritionally rich food with beta-carotene and precursor to Vitamin A food for the low poverty level people at low cost. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Department have stated: The potential to grow rice with an enhanced micronutrient can contribute to reducing malnutrition.

4. Tackling New Diseases

Before some of the genetic engineers was only dealing with pharmaceutical industry. But now biotechnology field has spread its wings wider in the health care industry and contribute to treat medical diseases by avoiding the use of insulin and other chemicals. With biotechnology, it includes interferon therapy to dissolve one’s immune system and introduced hepatitis B vaccine for low cost.