Genetic Engineering in Agriculture

On: Genetic Engineering in Agriculture: The Myths, Environmental Risks, and Alternatives
by Miguel A. Altieri. 2004

I found this book to be a bit more on the personal opinion/emotional side rather than strictly based on fact, although many studies are cited. Nonetheless, I think it provides a good overview of the risks associated with genetically engineered (GE) food sources. Altieri starts off by pointing out that despite the level of poverty, the world is producing far more food than is necessary to feed every inhabitant (though I would like to know if the surplus of food we are producing now is due to GE crops...) - he uses this to claim that the word of GE has developed not to do away with poverty, but rather for profit to the companies who engineer and sell these products (ex. Monsanto). Altieri attributes poverty levels to the lack of access to food (though plenty is produced) and lack of access to land (4). He claims that anything that would increase an impoverished nation's dependence on outside sources, such as GE crops, would not help the issue of hunger, but in turn would increase the nation's instability and therefore poverty. Altieri makes a good argument against the effectiveness of "golden rice", a GE crop, by presenting the evidence that the rice does not address the core problem of malnutrition. The rice is known to contain elevated levels of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A to supplement the diet of vitamin A deficient individuals in Asia. Altieri mentions that the lack of Vit. A in one of these individuals is not due to to lack of Vit. A in normal rice, but the fact that their diets do not contain the protein needed in order for the body to make use of Vit. A. He suggests that the introduction of a more varied diet including greens and a fat or oil source to increase the uptake of beta-carotene.

Altieri states many more arguments against GE foods including the fact that they do not necessarily have a higher yield than conventional crops, the loss of important traits when selecting for others, unintended gene flow from GE crops to non GE plants (organic or wild), the lack of scientific testing on the safety of these food products, the possibility of increased antibiotic resistance, overuse of herbicides leading to weed resistance, pest resistance to BT crops, among others...

Altieri suggests in closing that a "bottom up" approach be implemented in agriculture to help move toward a sustainable system that can adequately feed all people. This approach would involve "using and building on the resources already available: local people, their knowledge, and their indigenous natural resources" (61). I agree that this would be an ideal system for food production, but Altieri's vague "strong body of evidence" (70) that suggests that organic methods could provide enough food to sustain the growing population, is not enough for me to believe it. We have moved away from traditional farming methods due to the expanding population, now what is the most effective way to sustain our food security?