Patricia Anne Vega
RICE TODAY Sept 26 2018
After Golden Rice receives all the required approvals for food, feed, and cultivation and is found to be efficacious, a sustainable delivery program will ensure that Golden Rice is acceptable and accessible to those most in need.
Figure: After passing through stringent regulation, biofortified GM crops will face the more crucial challenge of consumer awareness, acceptance, and adoption. (Photo: IRRI)
Biofortification, whether through conventional breeding or advanced biotechnology techniques such as genetic engineering, has been recognized as a complementary intervention for overcoming malnutrition. The continued prevalence of hidden hunger globally provides a compelling argument for a closer look at the use of advanced biotechnology techniques to improve nutritional value, especially since cereal crops—the most important source of carbohydrates that provide calories for those unable to afford diverse food sources—are oftentimes lacking in other key nutrients.
However, building a case for the adoption of biofortified crops requires developers to step out of their labs and test fields and look at the crop from the perspective of the market. At the recently concluded Economics of Biotech Crops: a symposium to promote economic and financial literacy, scientists and economists came together to present their findings on the economic valuation of biofortified genetically modified (GM) crops, their potential impact on farmers, and policy recommendations for their adoption in the Philippines.
The symposium was organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture through its Biotechnology Information Center, and the Philippine Economic Society, as part of the institute’s activities for Nutrition Month in the Philippines.
See more: http://ricetoday.irri.org/value-chains-and-policy-work-are-crucial-to-the-adoption-of-golden-rice-and-other-biofortified-genetically-modified-crops/
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