How can all of the people in the world

be fed?

Food Distribution Problems

WarFamine often accompanies war or involves criminality (clip: YouTube - Somalia Behind the Headlines Somalia) YouTube - 8 minute crash course about SomaliaYouTube - Black Hawk Down - Trailer

Not able to plant crops – too dangerousRelief resources only available during ceasefiresSometimes the resources are taken by the government or military powers to feed the soldiers rather than the civilians

DebtMany countries owe the IMF or World Bank and therefore sanctions are imposed on their countriesForced to grow “cash crops” for profit – coffee, cotton, tea, sugar cane, peanutsLess land for subsistence food crops Means cutting spending on health, education, and housing leading to greater poverty and the cycle continues

Technology

Green RevolutionSuper seeds require more water, fertilizer and pesticidesPoor countries can’t afford to grow foodContaminates waterGenetically modified foods

Natural Causes

Not as large a factor as the 3 mentioned aboveDroughtPoor soil qualityFloodingClimate

The Green RevolutionThe introduction and rapid spread of high yield wheat and rice. First large use of chemical pesticides and high yield varieties of crops

Achieved by crossing of the different strains of major food crops to greater and larger yields that were more resistance to drought and disease. When: mid 1960’sPurpose: To meet the food needs of the developing world.

The Results….led to greater grain and rice productionhigher food outputs for LDC’sHelped stave off catastrophic famines!Self-sufficiency for some countries (Pakistan-wheat exporter, India-11 m tonnes to 27 m tons from 1965 to 1972, Mexico- double wheat yields, Philippines and Indonesia-rice previously imported)Planting dates become more flexible

Rich farmers have the resources for fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation water, machinery, storage and transportation (gap between rich and poor farmers widen)Colour, texture and tastes of new rice not well received.More difficult to raise output of rice with biotechnology due to precise water control. high yield varieties more costly to produce Many HYVs require more labour than the traditional counterparts (irrigation and fertilization)Contamination of watersheds by nitrates and phosphates, long term destroyed soilLoss of biodiversity-4 strains of wheat produce 3/4 of Canada’s crop.If farmers only rely on a few strains of a plant, a new disease can wipe out a large portion of the harvest

Criticisms of the Green Revolution

FACT

Some African countries import wheat due to the trend to consume “western foods”. Also, it is cheaper because governments have kept down the price of imported cereals. Thus, local farmers produce CASH CROPS for export rather than food crops for local consumption.

Solutions…Maintain genetic Banks where seeds from a great diversity of plants can be frozen and stored.Control populationGenetically modified foods (GM) Get from the Sea…

The Blue Revolution

The Blue RevolutionModern technology has allowed us to obtain food from the sea in many fish varietiesincreased seventeen fold in the last fifty yearsAquaculture, or the growing or harvesting of marine plants and animals for human consumption, is predicted to overtake the traditional wild fishery

What it can do…

Protein source for the one billion chronically malnourished people worldwideRelieve pressure on land

ConcernsExploitation of the traditional wild fisheryBoundary disputesAquaculture destroys land along coastsWater pollutionWetland lossSpread of disease

What About the TermsGenetic Engineering/Genetically Modified?

Genetic engineering involves:

Isolating genes Modifying genes so they function better Preparing genes to be inserted into a new species Developing transgenes

Genetic engineering is the basic tool set of biotechnology

What is a transgenic?

Transgene – the genetically engineered gene added to a species

Ex. – modified EPSP synthase gene (encodes a protein that functions even when plant is treated with Roundup)

Transgenic – an organism containing a transgene introduced by technological (not breeding) methods

Ex. – Roundup Ready Crops (owned by Monsanto, as seen in “Food Inc”)

Concept Based on the Term Transgene

We can develop organisms that express a “novel” trait not normally found in the species

Why are transgenics important?

Extended shelf-life tomato (Flavr-Savr)

Herbicide resistant soybean (Roundup Ready)

Agriculture Transgenics On the Market

Source: USDA

Insect resistant cotton – Bt toxin kills the cotton boll worm• transgene = Bt protein

Insect resistant corn – Bt toxin kills the European corn borer• transgene = Bt protein

Normal Transgenic

Virus resistance - papya resistant to papaya ringspot virus

Source: Monsanto

Herbicide resistant crops Now: soybean, corn, canola Coming: sugarbeet, lettuce, strawberry alfalfa, potato, wheat

Biotech chymosin; the enzyme used to curdle milk products

bST; bovin somatotropin; used to increasemilk production (remember “Food Inc”WAl-MART STOPPED Bst Milk)

Source: Rent Mother Nature

Source: Chr. Hansen

Some Ag Biotech Products Are Discontinued

Poor Quality• FlavrSavr tomatoes (Calgene)

Negative Consumer Response• Tomato paste (Zeneca)

Negative Corporate Response• NewLeaf (Monsanto)

Universal Negative Publicity• StarLink corn (Aventis)

Why???

Next Generation of Ag Biotech Products

Source: Minnesota Microscopy Society

Golden Rice – increased Vitamin A content by adding carotene (effort to fight childhood blindnessbut not without controversy)

Sunflower – white mold resistance

Turfgrass – herbicide resistance; slower growing (= reduced mowing)

Bio Steel – spider silk expressed in goats; used to make soft-body bullet proof vests (Nexia)

Human Applications

• Pharmaceutical products New solutions to old problems • Disease diagnosis Determine what disease you have or may get 

• Gene therapy Correcting disease by introducing a corrective gene

Biotechnology and Health

Product Use

Insulin Diabetes

Interferon Cancer

Interleukin Cancer

Human growth hormone

Dwarfism

Neuroactive proteins Pain

The genes for these proteins are:

• Cloned• Inserted into bacteria

Environmental Applications

Bioremediation - cleanup contaminated sites; uses microbes designed to degrade the pollution

Indicator bacteria – contamination can be detected in the environment

Tooth decay – engineered Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria that destroys enamel

Future Health-related Biotech Products

Vaccines – herpes, hepatitis C, AIDS, malaria

Edible VaccinesTransgenic Plants Serving Human Health Needs

• Works like any vaccine • A transgenic plant with a pathogen protein gene is developed• Potato, banana, and tomato are targets• Humans eat the plant • The body produces antibodies against pathogen protein• Humans are “immunized” against the pathogen• Examples:

DiarrheaHepatitis BMeasles

A Popular Term We Need To Know

GMOs - Genetically modified organisms

• GMO - an organism that expresses traits that result from the introduction of foreign DNA

• Originally a term equivalent to transgenic organism•Also called GMFs or “Frankenfoods”

Some claim any improved biological product is a GMO

They feel this will

For example, some call plant varieties biotechnology products

This is a false claim

The GMO Ruse

• ease the publics fear• pave the way for product acceptance

Let’s Be Up Front

• Biotechnology adds traits not available in the species

 Soybean does not have a gene to breakdown Roundup The gene comes from bacteria

• Breeding Biotechnology

 Breeding only exchanges genes found in the species Breeding can transfer the transgene to other breeding materials BUT this does not make it a biotechnology procedure

Important Plant Improvement Methods

• Breeding Crossing two individuals from the same species; produces a new, improved variety; not a biotechnology procedure

• Transformation Adding a gene from another species; the essential biotechnology procedure to produce transgenics

Source: USDA

Source: USDA

Wheat Rye

Triticale

X

Interspecific Cross

New species, but NOT biotechnology products

The Roundup Ready Story

• Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide• Active ingredient in Roundup herbicide • Kills all plants it come in contact with• Inhibits a key enzyme (EPSP synthase) in an amino acid pathway

• Plants die because they lack the key amino acids

• A resistant EPSP synthase gene allows crops to survive spraying

The Golden Rice Story

• Vitamin A deficiency is a major health problem

• Causes blindness• Influences severity of diarrhea, measles

• >100 million children suffer from the problem

• For many countries, the infrastructure doesn’t existto deliver vitamin pills

• Improved vitamin A content in widely consumed cropsan attractive alternative

-Carotene Pathway Problem in Plants

IPP

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate

Phytoene

Lycopene

-carotene(vitamin A precursor)

Phytoene synthase

Phytoene desaturase

Lycopene-beta-cyclase

ξ-carotene desaturase

Problem:Rice lacks

these enzymes

NormalVitamin A

“Deficient”Rice

The Golden Rice Solution

IPP

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate

Phytoene

Lycopene

-carotene(vitamin A precursor)

Phytoene synthase

Phytoene desaturase

Lycopene-beta-cyclase

ξ-carotene desaturase

Daffodil gene

Single bacterial gene;performs both functions

Daffodil gene

-Carotene Pathway Genes Added

Vitamin APathway

is completeand functional

GoldenRice

Final Test of the TransgenicConsumer Acceptance

RoundUp Ready Corn

Before After

Desertification….What is It?

Land degradation in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas due to:

Over cultivationOvergrazingDeforestation Poor irrigation practices

Drought - Irregular precipitation Populations in these areas used the methods of shifting agriculture and nomadic herding to respond to these challenges but…changing economic and political circumstances, population growth, and a trend towards more settled communities has increased desertification

Problems with Desertification

The Earth's drylands are found in more than 110 nations, and moderate to severe land degradation has reduced the productivity of more than 70% of these areas..

Levels of degradation in the world

Consequences…reduces the land’s resilience to natural climate variability.Soil becomes less productiveVegetation becomes damaged or lostSome of the consequences are borne by people living outside the immediately affected areaFood production is underminedDesertification contributes to famineDesertification is a huge drain on economic resources

Africa and Desertification2/3 of the continent is desert or drylands.

affected by frequent and severe droughts.Many African nations are landlocked, have widespread poverty, need external assistance and depend heavily on natural resources for subsistence

few institutional, legal, scientific, technical and educational resources

linked to migration and food security-Sahel zone (southern border of the Sahara Desert )

What about North America?

90% of arid land impacted

overstocking (livestock)- contributes to erosion and desertification. excessive withdrawals of groundwater - resulting in a rapid decline in height of the water table. salinization – from salts left behind on the soil surface after the irrigation water has evaporated.