Today,
more than 800 million people around the world are malnourished, meaning they do
not get the minimum energy requirements set by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of 1,690 calories per day for an urban adult and
1,650 calories for a rural dweller.
The world's population is projected to grow by 2.3 billion
people from 2009 to 2050, to 9.1 billion. To feed this growing population
adequately will require a 70 percent increase in food production globally and a
doubling of food production in developing countries.
There are natural limits to the productivity increases that can
be obtained with conventional farming. Scientifically advanced biotechnology
could greatly benefit the world's growing population, but governments have
placed severe regulatory restrictions on the use of such technology.
David Weisser, a research associate with the United States based
National Center for Policy Analysis, said the most controversial aspect of
biotechnology is the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to
increase crop yields per acre and to improve the nutritional quality of the
food produced.
He argues that restrictions on the development and cultivation
of biotech crops have slowed global progress in conquering hunger. Through
advanced research and new farming methods, global hunger could be reduced.
