But that breakthrough is by no means imminent. When we consider biotechnology as a tool for alleviating world hunger, the issues become even more complex. With the world population expected to continue increasing, many scientists look to biotechnology as a way to increase world food production.

“It’s been estimated that the supply of food required to adequately meet human nutritional needs over the next 40 years is equal to the amount of food previously produced throughout the entire history of humankind,” says Terry Etherton, head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science. “Obviously, this poses a daunting challenge. Destruction of tropical rainforest or wildlife habitat isn’t a viable option for environmental considerations. Consequently, we need to use biotechnology techniques that enhance food production efficiency. In the field of dairy and animal production, this means increasing the amount of milk produced or, in the case of meat animals, increasing lean tissue gain per unit of feed consumed.”

Agricultural economist David Blandford, who is from Great Britain, notes that European consumers are even more cautious about GM foods than American shoppers.

Developing new products and technologies takes years of research, followed by more time spent seeking and gaining regulatory approval from the fda. “It’s a formidable process that involves a sizeable investment of time and money,” Etherton says. “A lot of good ideas end up not being practical for commercial application on the farm. But conducting this type of discovery research is essential. We can’t wait until problems arise with the food supply and then expect a quick fix. If we continue to invest in research, it is likely we will be better positioned to feed the world in the future.”

Feeding the world, though, is not simply a matter of producing more food. “Right now, there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone,” says Koushik Seetharaman. “But availability is not the same as accessibility. Just because grain is sitting in a silo somewhere, that doesn’t mean a hungry person can get it. When we’re talking about gm foods, we need to consider all sorts of factors—political, economic, even cultural. For example, not long ago, researchers came up with golden rice, which was genetically modified for increased vitamin A content. This rice was touted as being able to help alleviate hunger in India. But in India, white rice is considered a status symbol. They don’t even eat brown rice, even though it’s nutritionally superior to white rice. Who is going to convince them to eat yellow rice?”

Genetic engineering techniques, though not a panacea, certainly hold promise for helping to alleviate hunger. Deanna Behring, the college’s director of international programs, looks at biotechnology as “something we should keep in the toolbox.”

“Here in the United States, we’re having this debate about genetically modified foods, and the same debate is going on in most of the developed world,” she says. “But if you look at the rest of the world map and at some of the poorest of the developing countries—many African nations, for example—all of a sudden you realize it’s a luxury to even have the debate. Approximately 40,000 people die each day because of illnesses related to malnutrition, and half of those people are children. Some 800 million people go to bed hungry each day, and it’s not because there’s not enough food—it’s because of politics and distribution issues.

Teosinte (A), the ancestral corn that existed thousands of years ago in Central America, bears little resemblance to the modern corn plant. Through selective breeding, corn with an intermediate genetic mix was obtained (B). Continued selection resulted in the modern corn plant (C). The selective breeding process takes centuries. Today, genetic engineering technology makes it possible to breed plants for specific traits within a single generation.

“There is one economic development theory,” Behring continues, “that articulates how biotechnology can help meet the food distribution challenge. If a farmer in a poor country could be given access to crops that can withstand drought and pests, and be able to produce that crop locally, then that farmer no longer has transportation and accessibility problems because he can meet demands of the local market. This, in turn, can boost the farmer’s income, and as farmers get more income they are better able to participate in the global economy.”

Biotechnology can be a valuable tool in making the most of the tremendous variety of crops that already exist in developing nations. Many countries around the world are home to valuable genetic material that could increase both variety and nutritional content in the world’s food supply. College research efforts include work in China to grow soybeans in low-phosphorus soils, modifying staple crops in India to be more disease-resistant, and genetic research on cocoa in South America. Many poor farmers depend on cocoa crops for income, and about 40 percent of the crop is lost each year to disease. Agricultural biotechnology techniques to improve disease resistance could help boost cocoa yields.

The introduction of genetically engineered food presents unquestionable opportunities for increased yields, higher quality crops, better nutrition, enhanced variety of foods, and an improved quality of life for developing countries. But along with those opportunities come potential health risks as well as logistical and marketing challenges. Bigger questions for society arise as well: What will be biotechnology’s long-term effects on the environment? By altering nature through genetic engineering, are we coming dangerously close to playing God?

While these larger debates will likely never be resolved, further research and testing may reveal whether the health advantages of biotechnology outweigh its risks. One thing is certain: Biotechnology has made its imprint on the food system and will continue to play a critical role in world food production in the years to come.
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Faculty and staff referenced in this article include Deanna Behring, director of international programs; David Blandford, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology; J. Lynne Brown, associate professor of food science; Terry Etherton, Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science; and Koushik Seetharaman, assistant professor of food science.