Professor of international development at Harvard, Calestous Juma has called on Africa to form an “International Institute for Biotechnology” that would unite governments, farmers, researchers and private companies to make genetically modified crops a positive force in Africa. If the world is to meet the rising demand for food, sub-Saharan land must be better utilized. Currently, only 4% is irrigated, compared with 40% of the land in Asia. A recent Nature article suggested that organic farming yields about one-third less food than conventional techniques, due mostly to disease vulnerability and the lack of synthetic fertilizers.
View the original post here: Why GM Crops Are a Moral Necessity | IdeaFeed | Big Think