Agro​ecological Farming Methods to Alleviate Hunger

Supporters of the biotech industry argue that GE crops will be the solution to alleviating hunger. However, many others claim that scientific, philosophical and common-sense reasoning all link GE crops to hurting food security and perpetuating hunger worldwide.

The biotech industry has been quick to promote the opinions of any GE critics who change their views, and last week, Mark Lynas, once a steadfast critic of genetically engineered crops, announced that a viable solution to the issue of world hunger is through the use of GE crops

(See: http://www.marklynas.org/2013/01/lecture-to-oxford-farming-conference-3-january-2013/)

Contrary to Lynas’ assertions, numerous recent studies indicate that agroecological approaches to farming, NOT the use of GE crops, are the solution to alleviating hunger in a significant and sustainable way. A compelling and extensive research study funded in part by the US Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative revealed that conventional farming methods prioritizing crop rotation not only resulted in higher yields but also required fewer hazardous chemical inputs (See: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047149 More case studies of successful agroecological studies can be found at http://ag-transition.org/?subject=agroecology-2)

AGRA Watch and African NGOs support an agroecological approach to farming as a method to address food security and food justice! For more information, see the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter (see: http://www.srfood.org/index.php/en/component/content/article/1-latest-news/1174-report-agroecology-and-the-right-to-food) as well as in the findings of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (see http://www.agassessment.org)