“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”
Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
The wonders that technological advances can do for the mankind are captured perfectly in these words of Arthur C. Clarke and same holds true for Biotechnology. Since the inception of this technology, it has always been Janus-faced to man; dividing the world into those who showed faith in biotechnology and those who considered it as a false hope. |
In today’s world when everyone wants his everything to be technologically advanced, why should the world of Biology hold back? Biotechnology is an amalgamation of biological or life sciences with technology. It’s not new. Since times immemorial, mankind has been using microorganisms to produce variety of foods like wine, bread, cheese, yoghurt and vinegar. Many traditional processes in making fermented products use simple biotechnology techniques. But back then man did not call it as biotechnology.
As the world is moving forward rapidly, so are the complications and glitches that we are facing. To name a few; the world food crisis, the resistant micro-organisms, the life threatening diseases, growing natural calamities are intimidating the survival of mankind. To face all these, in one way or the other only biotechnology can help the mankind.
Biotechnology has the power of empowering Agriculture. The world is worried about the decreasing land under cultivation, increasing pests and crop diseases, GM crops are a source of hope for the future. Today's world population is more than 7 billion people and growing rapidly. It is projected there will be 9.7 billion people inhabiting our planet by 2050. It may sound far off, but it is not even a single lifetime away—meaning that many of us alive today will still be alive then. One of the many issues raised by this expected population surge is how to feed all those people. Meeting the world demand for nutritious and abundant food is a challenge today and will only grow in the future. Agricultural biotechnology gives hope in the form of biotech crops that increase yields and reduce crop losses due to pests. By now more than 12 million farmers in 23 countries have planted more than 283 million acres of biotech crops. Genetic Modification can improve the nutritional quality of the food as already evident from the golden rice. Golden Rice was just a glimpse of the potential of biotechnology.
Another example is the Bt Cotton which has showed an immense increase in the cotton production. The adoption of Bt technology has turned the face of cotton cultivation minimizing the threat of bollworms.
As the world is moving forward rapidly, so are the complications and glitches that we are facing. To name a few; the world food crisis, the resistant micro-organisms, the life threatening diseases, growing natural calamities are intimidating the survival of mankind. To face all these, in one way or the other only biotechnology can help the mankind.
Biotechnology has the power of empowering Agriculture. The world is worried about the decreasing land under cultivation, increasing pests and crop diseases, GM crops are a source of hope for the future. Today's world population is more than 7 billion people and growing rapidly. It is projected there will be 9.7 billion people inhabiting our planet by 2050. It may sound far off, but it is not even a single lifetime away—meaning that many of us alive today will still be alive then. One of the many issues raised by this expected population surge is how to feed all those people. Meeting the world demand for nutritious and abundant food is a challenge today and will only grow in the future. Agricultural biotechnology gives hope in the form of biotech crops that increase yields and reduce crop losses due to pests. By now more than 12 million farmers in 23 countries have planted more than 283 million acres of biotech crops. Genetic Modification can improve the nutritional quality of the food as already evident from the golden rice. Golden Rice was just a glimpse of the potential of biotechnology.
Another example is the Bt Cotton which has showed an immense increase in the cotton production. The adoption of Bt technology has turned the face of cotton cultivation minimizing the threat of bollworms.
The world is in the strong need of rapid advancements in biotechnology for agricultural sustainability. Supporting the argument in favour of GM Crops, Dr. Norman Borlaug once said, “While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt elitist positions, and pay more for food produced by the so-called ‘natural method,’ the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low-income, food-deficit nations cannot.” This statement clearly shows this science as the only means of survival for hunger struck Nations.
There are also arguments suggesting the harmful effects of GM Crops on health. But the truth is contrary to his. An experts committee convened by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that the possibility of allergies arising from the consumption of modified foods is no different from that of other conventionally produced or natural foods. Besides, extensive food safety assessments have been implemented to minimize the possibility that allergenic proteins are introduced into commercialized GM crops. There is no sole commercialized Biotech plant that is known to cause any significant risks of allergenicity.
GM foods thus form a safer, more nutritional and sustainable food source. In the beginning, I said that Biotechnology has divided the world into those who showed faith in biotechnology and those who considered it as a false hope, well the truth is that the world needs to unite if this technology has to prove its worth as a boon and a problem solver for the agriculture. I would like to close with the words, “A technology that has the power to change the world in a petri dish should be lived, not debated”
There are also arguments suggesting the harmful effects of GM Crops on health. But the truth is contrary to his. An experts committee convened by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that the possibility of allergies arising from the consumption of modified foods is no different from that of other conventionally produced or natural foods. Besides, extensive food safety assessments have been implemented to minimize the possibility that allergenic proteins are introduced into commercialized GM crops. There is no sole commercialized Biotech plant that is known to cause any significant risks of allergenicity.
GM foods thus form a safer, more nutritional and sustainable food source. In the beginning, I said that Biotechnology has divided the world into those who showed faith in biotechnology and those who considered it as a false hope, well the truth is that the world needs to unite if this technology has to prove its worth as a boon and a problem solver for the agriculture. I would like to close with the words, “A technology that has the power to change the world in a petri dish should be lived, not debated”