Teacher: Mr.

Francis Tong
TJC 2002 JC2 MCT
“Genetically modified foods will not solve the world’s hunger problem.”
Discuss.

Poverty. Civil unrest. Hunger. These are but a few of the problems
beleaguering developing countries today. There are no easy solutions
to those problems: they are complex problems with a plethora of
causative factors, requiring patience, political willpower and
persistence if they are to be solved. Hence, I do not believe that
genetically modified foods are capable of solving the world’s hunger
problem, believing so would be oversimplifying the problem at hand.

There are several premises upon which genetically modified foods are
assumed to solve the hunger problem, the main one being that poor
farmers’ genetically modified crops will be able to withstand the
ravages of nature and bring them income when sold. Another would be
that genetically modified foods can increase world food supply,
hopefully providing more food to the poor and the starving. These
beliefs are inaccurate.

First of all, the genetically modified seeds are likely to be expensive

and thus out of the reach of the poor farmers in developing countries,
where the problem of hunger is more pronounced and severe. If they
are unable to afford the seeds they will be unable to reap the benefits
of genetically modified seeds and boost their income from the sale of
the genetically modified crops. Hence, genetically modified foods will
not solve the world’s hunger problem as they are not available to those
who are beset with starvation.
Of course, there are charities and non-profit organizations which
provide those seeds to the needy farmers, making them no longer out
of reach. However, as the saying goes: “Give a man a fish and you
feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
lifetime.” A better solution to the hunger problem would not rely on the
charity of developed countries, which will not last forever.

Secondly, it is inaccurate to presume that the higher yields of

genetically modified plants will increase food supply to the poor. It is
unchallenged that some genetically modified foods do have higher
yields and do increase world food supply, but there are doubts as to
whether the foods are suitable for consumption by the poor and
whether the increase in world food supply will lead to an increase in
food supply for the starving specifically. The majority of genetically
modified foods are made for industrial use by multinational
corporations and not to feed the poor. Hence, although genetically
modified foods do add to global food supply, they are highly unlikely to
increase the food supply for the poor.
Furthermore, global consumption patterns are skewed, with the world’s
richest 5% consuming more than 20% of world food supplies.

Genetically modified foods are not a panacea simply because the

world’s hunger problem is too complex. It is highly probable that the
root of problem is a political one, rather than a practical one. The
people who suffer from hunger are likely to be from developing
countries, where people have to feed themselves on mere cents a day.
How can one satiate debilitating hunger on a few cents? Looking from
this perspective, it would seem the world’s hunger problem originated
from an uncomfortably uneven global income distribution. A better
solution might then be to create jobs for the people in developing
countries; they may be able to afford more food on higher incomes
from improved job opportunities. Other policies to alleviate or solve the
world’s hunger problem could also include a “living wage” for workers
in less developed countries: governments or human rights
organisations could influence and pressure multinational corporations
to stop exploitation of workers, paying them enough for food and
decent housing. Companies like Knights Apparel have proved it to be a
workable business model, dispelling the notion that exploitation is
required to keep businesses in the black. Governments could also
provide better education programmes for their people, improving their
qualifications for better jobs and provide the infrastructure required,
such as better transport networks so that farmers can get their crops
to market more easily.

Having said that, it is unrealistic to expect that intervention by

authorities alone will solve the world’s hunger problem. The
individual’s moral authority must play a part too. It would be extreme
to encourage boycotts of every company accused of exploitation, but it
is possible for responsible consumers to favour products which are
“Fair Trade”. By agreeing to pay a few more dollars for Fair Trade
products, people may just influence errant corporations to pay “living
wages” with their money votes more than any government could.

In conclusion, genetically modified foods will not solve the

world’s hunger problem as it does not combat the main causes of it,
which are political and moral in nature. Other policies and programmes
could do better to improve the situation.

Yeo Ying Ying (9)

CG 10/09
21 August 2010