NOVA Frontline Harvest of Fear 9 of 12 captioned
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to address food scarcity, particularly in developing nations like Kenya. It contrasts traditional farming methods with GM technology, which offers built-in resistance to pests and diseases. The script highlights the success of GM sweet potatoes and maize in improving yields and overcoming soil challenges. However, it also addresses the controversy surrounding GM crops, with environmental groups like Greenpeace opposing them due to safety concerns. The debate centers on the need for increased food production versus the potential risks of GM technology, with the script suggesting that the benefits of GM crops could be crucial in combating global hunger.
Takeaways
- 🚜 Genetically Modified (GM) sweet potatoes outperformed traditionally grown varieties in terms of size and health, suggesting GM technology could be beneficial for African farming.
- 🌱 Wan boo goo argues that advanced technology, such as GM seeds, could be the answer for the least developed regions, as it is built into the seed and requires no additional chemicals.
- 📚 Kenya has been training researchers and regulators to develop a national regulatory system for overseeing GM technology, ensuring responsible implementation.
- 🌟 Catherine Ives' program at Michigan State University aims to help developing nations increase food production, highlighting the importance of making land more productive.
- 🌾 Poor soil quality, particularly in tropical regions, is a significant challenge for farmers; GM technology has been explored as a potential solution to combat issues like soil acidity and aluminum toxicity.
- 🌽 Scientist Luis Herrera genetically modified maize to produce citrate, which binds to toxic aluminum and enhances root growth, demonstrating the potential of GM technology to improve crop productivity.
- 🛑 Despite promising results, Herrera's field trials were halted due to pressure from environmental groups like Greenpeace, who protested the safety of GM maize.
- 🏛️ There is a debate between the necessity of GM technology for global food security and the concerns raised by environmentalists who believe the technology is not needed and could be harmful.
- 🌳 Environmental groups argue that the problem of hunger is not due to a lack of technology but rather a lack of money and equitable food distribution.
- 🌍 The world produces enough food for nearly 9 billion people, yet 800 million go hungry due to distribution and access issues, suggesting that technology alone may not solve the problem.
- 🔥 An act of arson by the Earth Liberation Front destroyed offices at Michigan State University, which were involved in GM research, illustrating the extreme opposition to GM technology.
Q & A
What was the difference observed in the growth of GM versus non-GM sweet potatoes?
-The GM variety of sweet potatoes was large and healthy, while unmodified sweet potatoes grown with traditional organic methods could not compete, indicating that GM technology might be more effective in certain conditions.
What does Wan boo goo suggest as a solution for the least developed people in the world?
-Wan boo goo ironically suggests that the most advanced technology, such as GM technology, might be the answer for the least developed people in the world.
Why is GM technology appealing to farmers according to the script?
-GM technology is appealing because it is built into the seed, which means all the farmer has to do is plant it. It does not require the farmer to be educated on how to use it, and it provides resistance to pests and diseases.
What challenges does Kenya face in overseeing new GM technology?
-Kenya faces the challenge of overseeing GM technology without the equivalents of the USDA, EPA, and FDA. However, they have trained researchers, regulators, and extension workers to develop a national regulatory system.
What is the main goal of the program run by Catherine Ives at Michigan State University?
-The main goal of the program is to help developing nations produce more food, with the understanding that increased food production can lead to healthier families and better opportunities, such as education.
What is one of the biggest obstacles poor farmers face, especially in the tropics?
-One of the biggest obstacles poor farmers face is poor soil loaded with excess minerals like aluminum or salt, which greatly reduces crop productivity.
How did scientist Luis Herrera address the issue of toxic aluminum in crops near Irapuato, Mexico?
-Luis Herrera genetically modified maize to produce a natural chemical called citrate, which binds to the toxic aluminum, keeping it in the soil and away from the plant, resulting in improved root growth and productivity.
What was Greenpeace's reaction to Herrera's GM maize research?
-Greenpeace arrived in Mexico to protest, claiming that Herrera's GM maize was unsafe. This led to the Mexican government halting his field trials.
What is the main argument against GMOs by environmental groups as mentioned in the script?
-Environmental groups reject the premise that GMOs are needed to feed the world, arguing that the biggest problem behind hunger is lack of money, not technology, and that the world already produces enough food.
What incident occurred at Michigan State University related to the GMO controversy?
-On New Year's Eve 1999, the offices of researchers working on GMOs at Michigan State University were destroyed in an arson attack claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
What is the potential impact of destroying the progress made in GM technology according to the script?
-The script suggests that destroying the progress made in GM technology could be akin to tearing down a house that took years to build, emphasizing the years of research and resources invested in developing this technology.
Outlines
🌱 GM Technology's Potential in African Agriculture
The first paragraph discusses the significant yield advantage of genetically modified (GM) crops, specifically sweet potatoes, over traditionally grown varieties in Africa. It highlights the challenges faced by organic farming methods and the potential of GM technology to provide a sustainable solution. The narrative suggests that advanced technology, embedded within the seed itself, could be the answer to food scarcity for the world's least developed populations. The paragraph also touches on the simplicity of GM technology for farmers, its user-friendliness, and the efforts made to train researchers and regulators in Kenya to safely and effectively manage this technology. Catherine Ives, from Michigan State University, emphasizes the importance of increasing food production in developing nations to improve health and education. The benefits of GM technology in addressing soil issues, such as aluminum toxicity near Irapuato, Mexico, are also presented, alongside the controversy stirred by environmental groups like Greenpeace, who oppose the technology.
🛑 Controversy and Challenges of GMOs in Feeding the World
The second paragraph delves into the debate surrounding the necessity of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to address global hunger. Critics argue that the technology is a ploy exploiting the guilt of affluent societies and that the real issue is the lack of money, not technology. They point out the irony of hunger persisting in a world with surplus food, suggesting that distribution and access are the core problems. The paragraph also addresses the pride and dignity of farmers and the importance of self-sufficiency. Proponents of biotechnology, however, insist that with a growing global population, innovative agricultural solutions like GMOs, combined with ecological practices, are essential to meet future food demands. The narrative includes a personal account of an arson attack on Michigan State University's offices, presumably linked to the GMO controversy, and the broader implications of such actions on years of research and development in the field of genetic modification.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡GM variety
💡Organic methods
💡Technology in seeds
💡Regulatory system
💡Field tests
💡Soil toxicity
💡Citrate
💡Greenpeace
💡Food distribution
💡Biotechnology
💡Earth Liberation Front
Highlights
GM sweet potatoes outperformed unmodified ones, showcasing the potential of GM technology in agriculture.
Traditional organic farming methods struggle to compete with the advantages of GM technology.
Advanced technology like GM could be the solution for the least developed regions.
GM technology is user-friendly, requiring no additional education for farmers.
Kenya has developed a national regulatory system for overseeing GM technology.
Michigan State University runs a program to help developing nations increase food production.
GM technology can address soil issues like aluminum toxicity, improving crop productivity.
Herrera's GM maize produced citrate to combat aluminum toxicity, leading to significant root growth improvement.
Greenpeace protested against GM maize in Mexico, leading to halted field trials.
Environmental groups argue that GMOs are not necessary for feeding the world and are a ploy.
The issue of world hunger is more about distribution and access to food rather than production.
Biotechnology and agricultural ecology are seen as key to feeding the growing world population.
The potential benefits of GM technology should not be denied to developing countries.
Michigan State University was targeted by the Earth Liberation Front, resulting in arson.
The arson attack destroyed Michigan State University's offices involved in GM research.
The importance of GM technology research is compared to building a house that takes years, not to be destroyed easily.
Transcripts
the ground the difference was even more
pronounced the GM variety was large and
healthy unmodified sweet potatoes grown
with traditional organic methods could
not compete may I say that
olynyk farming has not worked in Africa
and it has it is no good no work it's
not the answer
ironically says Wan boo goo the answer
for the least developed people in the
world maybe the most advanced technology
in contrast to complicated and costly
chemicals GM technology is built into
the seed all the farmer has to do is
plant it what farmers need is technology
that is packaged in the seed the seed
that actually is resistant to the pests
and diseases and they planted the way
they have always planted that to be
sustainable the GM technology is
appealing and to me ICS user-friendly it
does not demand the farmer to go and be
educated how to use it but can a poor
country like Kenya oversee this powerful
new technology without the equivalents
of the USDA EPA and FDA we have trained
some of their researchers we've also
supported training of the number of
their regulators to develop a Kenyan
national regulatory system which they
have done and we have trained their
extension workers so that when it comes
time to field test these plants in a
number of different locations which is
currently ongoing that they would know
how to do that Catherine Ives runs a
program at Michigan State University to
help developing nations produce more
food people understand that if they can
produce more food they can feed their
families and keep their children
healthier now they understand that if
they can make their land more productive
maybe they can send their children to
school as opposed to have them out in
the field all day
one of the biggest obstacles poor
farmers face especially in the tropics
is poor soil loaded with excess minerals
like aluminum or salt near Irapuato
Mexico for example toxic aluminum
greatly reduces productivity of crops
like corn scientist luis herrera
wondered whether GM technology might
offer a solution
this mace is not growing very well
because it has problems of soil acidity
which lead to aluminum toxicity and low
so what happens is that the root system
of the plant doesn't grow and it cannot
make it cannot supply the plant with
enough nutrients to grow what the
farmers finds is that the productivity
of the plant is usually you should have
this big and you have a little
production
in his laboratory Herrera genetically
modified the maize so it would produce a
natural chemical called citrate which
binds to the toxic aluminum keeping it
in the soil and away from the plant the
results were dramatic so you can see
here that the root formation of a normal
plant in an acidic soil is not very good
and in plants that we produce citrate
the root growth is much better and this
is a way we have to demonstrate that the
system is working when word of Herrera's
research got out greenpeace arrived in
mexico protesting that his GM maize was
unsafe under pressure
the Mexican government halted his field
trials we are not sure whether because
of the pressure of these groups the
government will never allow us to field
test our technology or if they will not
allow us to to provide it to the farmers
for commercial juice these people speak
selectively only the negative thing and
they totally ignore the positive
benefits not only to humans but also to
the environment the potential benefit is
so important that this technology cannot
be stopped it must not be stopped
Herrera says there's much more at stake
than his own research we need more food
there is people daily dying because of
lack of food but environmental groups
reject the whole premise that GMOs are
needed to feed the world I think it's a
ploy it's playing on the guilt of
relatively well-off people that somehow
if they don't approve of this technology
by agreeing to buy the products that
somehow the result will be people dying
of starvation in the developing world
you don't believe this technology can
help people in the developing world the
biggest problem behind hungry people is
lack of money it's not technology
we live in a world today where 800
million people a year are going hungry
in a world that produces enough food for
almost 9 billion people yet we only have
six billion people on the planet why
isn't that food being distributed more
equitably it's because people who can't
afford to buy food simply aren't being
given it it just isn't being given to
them they don't have a clue what they're
talking about because most of these
people who talk like that get all their
food from the supermarket and they just
think how it cannot be in another place
in another supermarket the transport
costs in this country are huge even if
that food was donated for free it would
have to cost something when it arrives
here and there is the pride if you
cannot feed your family you cannot feed
yourself you have a main Terrace that
makes you feel you're useless people
have pride in feeding their family to
have pride in be able to parties
everybody how anybody like to be a
beggar how like to be there waiting that
until some food comes they're going to
stay hungry whether or not people in
developed countries like biotechnology
they should not deny those potential
benefits to the developing countries
we've got 800 million people who are
chronically undernourished we've got 1.5
billion more people who will be added to
the world population by the year 2020
now that's an enormous number of people
to be fed and we believe that
biotechnology along with agricultural
ecology is going to be able to feed that
population
are the dreams of raising Africa out of
poverty on a collision course with the
concerns of people living in rich
nations half a world away to beaut this
house where we are today
there was a designer there was a nice
texture there were people it took some
time to breathe this house it'll need
the expertise to build GM technology has
taken years has taken leave sources has
taken time now if you want to destroy
and bring down this house you don't need
expertise all you need is some some
people from the streets hooligans give
them hammers they'll beat this house
down within a day I believe that's what
is happening Greenpeace and many of
those activists and just beating down a
house that took years to build years of
research
[Music]
one of the universities that supports
Florence Wambugu work in Africa is
Michigan State University
they were largely unaffected by the GMO
controversy until New Year's Eve 1999 I
was walking into Downtown East Lansing
to go out for New Year's Eve and we saw
the fire trucks and the engines going
towards the area where we worked on
campus and saw smoke and we said just
the real fire and I looked up and I
counted the floors and I said that's my
office
[Music]
our offices were totally destroyed they
were pretty much reduced to ash we
assumed that there was an electrical
fire but it became clear to the
investigators that it wasn't arson the
initial investigation the issue was did
he have any ex boyfriends or girlfriends
that would be mad at us
after three weeks police still had no
idea who was behind it
then a communique arrived from an
underground group the Earth Liberation
Front there's an earth abrasion front
action at Michigan State University on
December 31st this last year
and it was a fire that burned down part
of a bill
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