Here’s my take on Golden Rice: It’s one small, flawed fix for the massive problem of poverty in Asia. It’s probably not going to be the fix, but it seems shortsighted to attack the people who are actually on the ground trying to do good, unless you are out there too with something much better.
Are there other fixes? Yep, you could give people pills, or convince them to grow (and eat) more vegetables. But the donors supporting Golden Rice have been trying that too. The hope is that Golden Rice can put a little more of a dent in the problem. At the very least, as Pollan put it, after all these years of promises, it will be interesting to watch this test case: “We deserve to find out once and for all if this shining promise can live up to the hype.”
Read the full, original story here: “Golden Rice: Fool’s gold or golden opportunity?”
Additional Resources:
- “Golden Rice: Lifesaver?” New York Times
- “Comment on: From Lynas to Pollan, Agreement that Golden Rice Trials Should Proceed” International Food Policy Research Institute
