The Ethics of Modern Agriculture: Organic Foods vs. Frankenfoods

Robert Paarlberg is a professor of political science at Wellesley College and an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. His principal research interests are international agricultural and environmental policy. His latest book, "Starved for Science: How Biotechnology Is Being Kept Out of Africa," explains why poor African farmers are denied access to productive technologies, particularly genetically engineered seeds with improved resistance to insects and drought.

In his Food for Thought lecture, Rob discuses why, after embracing agricultural science to become well fed, those in wealthy countries are instructing Africans — on the most dubious grounds — not to do the same.

Outreach in Biotechnology's Food for Thought Lecture Series brings together internationally recognized experts to talk about the best (and worst) ways to use biotechnology for food and fuel. For more information, go to http://OregonState.edu/OrB

A study guide to this lecture is available at http://oregonstate.edu/orb/food-for-thought

Recorded 19 Jan 2010

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Food for Thought
• Outreach in Biotechnology
• Robert Paarlberg
• sustainable agriculture
• ethics
• politics

[myndy86]

@Illyrien In your world is "a member of the Biotechnology Advisory Council to the CEO of the Monsanto Company." not biased? If he came out and said we should all just grow organic, he is most likely not going to have that position anymore.

[Illyrien]

@myndy86

In your world, what would be "unbiased"?

[DaveGalligan]

Great presentation

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape UNEP-UNCTAD report continued "Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa "and (iv) added value to organic products through processing activities. These findings are backed up by studies from Asia and Latin America that concluded that organic farming can reduce poverty in an environmentally friendly way."

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape UN report Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa "Poverty is a major contributory factor to food security, organic farmers benefit from (i) cash savings, as organic farming precludes the need to purchase synthetic pesticides and fertilisers; (ii) extra incomes gained by selling the surplus produce(resulting from the change to organic); (iii) premium prices for certified organic produce, obtained primarily in Africa for export but also for domestic markets;"

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape "Today's scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live- especially in unfavorable environments.""To date agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80% in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116% for all African projects."

srfood.org/index.php/en/compon­ent/content/article/1174-repor­t-agroecology-and-the-right-to­-food

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape The UN and World Bank report,International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development by 400 scientists, concluded that biotech crops have very little potential to alleviate poverty and hunger. Robert Watson, the director of the IAASTD, and chief scientist at the UK DEFRA, responded to a question from the newspaper, The Daily Mail – Are GM crops the simple answer to hunger and poverty? with the words, "I would argue, no."

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape "Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land.""in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods"" sciencedaily"dot"com/releases/­2007/07/070711134523.htm

[myndy86]

@MightyBif @papescape The video description forgets to mention Paarlberg is "a member of the Biotechnology Advisory Council to the CEO of the Monsanto Company." wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Pr­ofile/mr/rpaarlberg.html 

This obviously suggests bias!

[MightyBif]

Gentic modification is essential in feeding this worlds population. China grows mostly genetically modified food because they have to in order to be able to feed their people.