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AgriNerd: We Need More GM Food to Feed the Poor

By Dan Mitchell

Updated on: July 31, 2008 / 9:48 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

By 2025, we'll either be producing a lot more genetically modified food, or a lot more people around the world will be going hungry, according to Bruce M. Chassy, assistant dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.

Chassy is much more a geek than he is a social theorist. A longtime advocate of GMO's (genetically modified organisms), his main research interests are "molecular biology and biotechnology of lactic acid bacteria used in food and dairy applications," according to his Web page.

Speaking in Kolkata, India, Chassy said that agricultural production will need to double by 2025 to adequately feed the world, and that GM foods must be a part of the increase.

One potential problem is that GM seeds are often more expensive than ordinary ones, but Chassy said that savings, even in developing countries, can come from a reduced need for pesticides and herbicides. Meanwhile, crop production is usually increased, often by a wide margin.

The other obstacle, of course, is the resistance by some to so-called "frankenfoods." Chassy didn't say so, but if things get bad enough, such resistance may come to seem quaint. He did say that the fear of GM foods is based on "a complete misconception," and that GM foods are "more nutritious and wholesome than organic food" â€" which may be a bit of a stretch, especially if GM foods are grown conventionally.

Finally, governments in countries like India must be convinced that the world will accept GM foods. The Indian government, he said, "is afraid of criticism from opposition parties and fails to take the risk that will be beneficial for its countrymen." And the government believes that "it will have problems in marketing it in other countries."

That's not a baseless concern, of course. But the opposition to GM foods is being slowly but consistently whittled away. Having India's full endorsement would go a long way toward convincing the rest of the world of the need for it.