Why the Hunger: The Debate over Seeds

(page 5 of 6)

The Debate over Seeds

Breeding seed varieties to produce higher yields was the whole premise behind the Green Revolution, for which Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. According to proponents of this movement, Borlaug�s work ensured that new high-yield wheat and rice varieties spread throughout Asia, helped many countries become self-sufficient in food production, and saved millions of lives. Researchers like Dr. Prabhu Pingali at the FAO�s Agricultural and Development Economics Division confirm that a large body of economic research shows that the Green Revolution benefited the poor.

Detractors like the international research group Food First, on the other hand, say that the Green Revolution�s �expensive seed, fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation programs� favored well-to-do farmers and indebted smallholders. Meanwhile, others argue that the Green Revolution itself shouldn�t be blamed for subsequent developments that hurt small farmers. An article from SciDev.net, for example, says the initial movement was meant to benefit the poor and that the problems arose when the technologies behind modifying plants started becoming privately owned. Now, some six large companies control almost all of the research in this field.

What About GMOs?

Genetic engineering (the process of manipulating or inserting genes in an organism) is being used on more and more crops.

Research groups like IFPRI say that the risks and opportunities inherent in such biotechnologies still need a great deal of assessment, but that �some do have great potential to alleviate hunger and malnutrition and benefit poor populations in developing countries.�

Other groups, like Greenpeace, say that GMOs �should not be released into the environment as there is not adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.�

The need to purchase new seed varieties every season has also become a problem. Although high-yield seed hybrids can be saved and replanted, it�s often at a cost of lower yields, quality, and uniformity. Many advocates for low-income farmers in developing countries criticize multinational corporations like Monsanto for making extravagant profits while small farmers struggle to pay for the seeds. Farmers� resistance to the use of Monsanto�s genetically modified (Bt) cotton seeds in India is a case in point.

Despite promises of better crops, farmers have revolted against what they claim are usurious fees, increasing pest resistance to seeds, no increase in yields, degraded soils, and human health problems caused by the products. Proponents of the Bt seeds counter all of these points, noting their success and widespread adoption. Tragically though, crop failures in India overall have pushed farmers further into debt and thousands have committed suicide. The preservation of local seed varieties in community seed banks is an alternative route that some in India have taken to maintain self-sufficiency.

The application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers to farmland to increase yields has been another controversial subject globally. While nitrogen fertilizers, for example, have increased crop yields by significant amounts, environmentalists have cited problems caused by runoff, including links with acid rain and the contamination of drinking water.

For their part, indigenous communities point to the loss of soil fertility caused by over-use of fertilizers. The environmental impacts caused by chemical products have led organizations like the Farmer-to-Farmer Movement in Latin America to try to recover practices of traditional and organic agriculture. In organic agriculture, synthetic inputs are prohibited. The market for organics is growing worldwide, but transitioning to organic production on a wider scale can be more expensive for farmers unless incentive programs and institutional support are in place.

Page 1 - Introduction
Page 2 - The Global Food Supply
Page 3 - The Future of Small Farms
Page 4 - Is Bigger Better?
Page 5 - The Debate over Seeds
Page 6 - Examining Solutions

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