Genetically modified (GM) crops are an important part of the sustainable
agriculture toolkit, alongside traditional breeding techniques.
But they are not a panacea for world hunger, despite many assertions
to the contrary by their proponents. In practice, the first generation of
GM crops has been largely irrelevant to poor countries. Overstating
these benefits can only increase public distrust of GM organisms, as it
plays to concerns about the perceived privatization and monopolization
of agriculture, and a focus on profits.
Nor are science and technology by themselves a panacea for world
hunger. Poverty, not lack of food production, is the root cause. The
world currently has more than enough food, but some 1 billion people
still go hungry because they cannot afford to pay for it.
Genetically modified (GM)
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