London School of Economics report: Loosen restrictions on GM crops to help feed malnourished

A report released by the London School of Economics recommends that in order to feed the world amid climate change and a growing population, crops must become more resilient—something that can be achieved most easily with genetic modification efforts and loosened regulations.

The authors–well known advocates of crop biotechnology–reference crops currently in development that are drought-resistant or require less water to produce better yields than conventional crops. Though better agronomic practices, like precision irrigation and pest control are helpful, they “cannot deliver enough productivity enhancements to meet anticipated need.”

The anti-GMO lobby continues to insist that corp biotechnology is not the answer, claiming they require more herbicides, that they might be dangerous to human health and because only a few large corporations control the whole market. However, the authors of the report “[brush] these risks aside.”

The report makes some fair point,” the Fast Company blog writes in its critique of the report. “In particular, regulatory hurdles are making it difficult for rapid agricultural innovation to flourish and that policymakers need to make a concerted effort to push innovations through. … But we need to ensure that in our haste to fix the planet’s food problems that we don’t inadvertently create new health and environmental problems–and hand over the entire agriculture industry to a select few companies.”

Read the full, original story: If Genetically Modified Crops Can Feed The World, We Should Loosen Regulations

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