How Can Biotechnology Alleviate World Hunger?
World population just hit the 6 billion mark in 1999 and is expected to double in the first half of the next century. Although world agriculture has been able to increase food production faster than population growth, one-fourth of the world population still suffers from hunger and malnutrition. Further, increased yield gains have come at a cost as rainforest and wetland habitats have been destroyed, soil fertility has diminished in many parts of the world due to intensive cropping and grazing practices, and intensive use of agro-chemicals has contaminated many of our waterways. Through agricultural biotechnology, scientists are working to develop new higher-yielding crop varieties that will require fewer chemicals and less intensive cultivation, allowing farmers to produce more food and better food on less land. The improvement of nutritional quality in our food supply through biotechnology has also begun to show great rewards.
