Biotechnology in agriculture – Bid to eradicate hunger by increase in yield - To overcome climate challenges:

Biotechnology in agriculture – Bid to eradicate hunger by increase in yield - To overcome climate challenges:

Now it is known fact that, because of global warming, climate change is taking place. The effects of climate change are erratic behavior of nature, such as intensified drought, flood, cyclone etc. Now, it has become challenge to us to grow more food despite having erratic changes in world climate and nature. Further, explosive growth of population worldwide and need of using ethanol (bio-fuel) blended gasoline made us think about the increase in agriculture production.

Under the above backdrop, it is felt, biotechnology in agriculture would become the key to feeding growing population; take care of agricultural production in the adverse climatic conditions both for food and production of ethanol. Overcoming climate challenges like crop-killing droughts etc., are very important, for which science of biotechnology can be very much useful. Biotechnology scientists believe that, it can increase corn and soybean yields by 40 per cent over the next decade. New tools and biotechnology can work in conjunction with better breeding and higher yielding seed to give maximum benefit to human being.

We all know that, crop shortages this year have sparked riots in some countries and steep price hikes in markets around the globe causing lot of miseries and death due to starvation.

Now the question is how to address these issues effectively in order to achieve sufficient agricultural production to overcome crop shortages. Despite persistent reluctance in number of nations and environmental groups, genetically modified (GM) crops have been on the rise. Growing food and bio-fuel demands have been helping push growth of GM crops.

Water scarcity is one of the major problems, which is expected in doubling in severity over the next few decades even as the world population explodes, and will only be worsened by global warming climate change. With about nine billion people expected to populate the globe by next couple of decades and about 85 per cent of the population seen in lesser developed countries, decreased land for agriculture and multiple demands on water use will come hand in hand with an expected doubling in food demand.

Scientists opine that, by using conventional and biotech genetically modifications, crops can be engineered to yield more in optimum as well as harsh climatic conditions, can be made healthier, pest resistant and can be developed in ways that create more energy for use in ethanol production. As food prices increase worldwide and shortages causing starvation deaths; use of GM crops certainly brings a more practical perspective to the debate. Number of tools can be brought to bear with biotechnology to solve the crisis.

As discussed, the most widespread application of genetic engineering in agriculture by far is in engineered crops. Thousands of such products have been field tested and over a dozen have been approved for commercial use. The traits most commonly introduced into crops are herbicide tolerance, insect tolerance, and virus tolerance. In recent time, number of companies is engaged in developing genetically engineered seeds such as, disease-resistant biotech wheat, drought-resistant corn, crops that need less fertilizer and corn that more efficiently can be turned into ethanol. Biotechnology can also address health concerns of consumer and can contribute to healthier life as in the case of soybean oil where about 90% reduction in saturated fat and trans fat has been achieved.

At present, it is a challenge to world community to increase access to agriculture’s tools and any nation’s focus should be on its self-sufficiency, which by adopting biotechnology can be achieved, it is felt. Agriculture is an extremely complex system and needs expertise in technology to sustain an equitable growth for the farmers. Therefore, in my opinion, it is important to create partnerships, relationships among both the biotechnologists and farmers in order to bring practicality to address the problems.

Population displacement (migration) due to environmental degradation:

Population displacement (migration) due to environmental degradation:

To “migrate” means to move from one’s habitat. This movement ranges from free or voluntary movement, to forced or involuntary movement. In many cases, people are “displaced” by forces beyond their control, and hence the term “population displacement.” Environmental refugees are those people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of prolonged environmental degradation / disruption caused by either nature and/or triggered by people, which jeopardized their existence / livelihood seriously affecting the quality of their life.
Population displacement due to environmental degradation is not a recent phenomenon. Historically, people have had to leave their land because it had been degraded (through natural disasters, war or over-­exploitation) and could not sustain them. What is recent is the potential for large movements of people resulting from a combination of resource depletion, the irreversible destruction of the ­environment and population growth (among other factors). The physical environment now is changing in ways that make human populations more vulnerable to environmental stress. As deforestation, global warming and other threats appear a new category of displaced people called environmental refugees have been created. The number of people displaced by environmental degradation is immense.

Recently, according to many, environmental refugees have become the single largest class of displaced persons in the world. As governments do not take official account of this unconventional category, estimates of the number of environmental refugees vary greatly. Countries in Africa and Asia are the most affected as displaced persons in the world because of environmental degradation. People also think that the numbers of environmental refugees are expected to increase ­rapidly. Many authors claim that, environmental degradation is likely to produce “waves of environmental refugees that spill across borders with destabilizing effects” on domestic order and international relations. Migration is a complex phenomenon, and it is difficult to isolate environmental stresses from the web of social, economic, and political relations.
There are numerous examples presented to substantiate the link between environmental change and population movement, but the commonly cited are the Sahel in Africa, El Salvador, Haiti, and Bangladesh. It is well documented that each of these regions or countries has experienced significant environmental stress, notably droughts, deforestation, soil degradation, and flooding. It is also clear that there is a complex array of social, economic and institutional processes at work - rapid population growth, inequitable land distribution, civil war, extreme poverty etc.

If deterioration of the natural resource systems continues, political and social instability will be aggravated, as will economic stagnation and rural poverty. This phenomenon in turn will constrain future economic and social development in the vulnerable developing countries.

There are three important stages in the movement process:
a. Survival—using movement as a means of obtaining relief from environmental stresses;
b. Recovery—where movers are able to use their movement to recover from the problem, and consolidate their position; and finally,
c. Improvement—where a person is able to use movement as a means of enhancing their position and prospects, in which case a return to the place of origin may be less likely to occur.

Migration is a complex phenomenon, and it is not clear in what ways environmental degradation influences a person’s decision to migrate. It is also difficult, if not impossible, to isolate environmental stresses from the complex web of social, economic, and political relations present in everyday living. However, accepting these difficulties, two sets of recommendations are presented below. The first set outlines general recommendations for assisting communities and regions under environmental stress, particularly where that stress may contribute to population movement. The second set provides more specific recommendations.
1. A major emphasis to be given on promoting sustainable development and its ecological, economic and social manifestations. Further, this implies ensuring human security. More specific recommendations include:

(a) Develop a system to help anticipate migrations that may be triggered by environmental disruptions. This could be in the form of an early warning system or simply a continual assessment of the vulnerability of regions and communities to environmental stress.

(b) Focus efforts on identifying adaptation mechanisms and how these mechanisms may be reinforced in vulnerable communities and regions.

(c) Develop case studies of the influences of environmental degradation on migration, with specific consideration paid to the development of procedures for assisting those people affected by environmental disruptions.

(d) Develop better working relationships between organizations devoted to human rights, environment, population and migration.

(e) Involve migrants and refugees directly in the ­development of programs to assist those affected by environmental deterioration.

(f) Recognize the cumulative causality of environmental degradation and population movement, and assist receiving regions to ensure minimal environmental impacts of the migration flows.

(g) Provide development assistance to countries most vulnerable to future environmental change; and

(h) Recognize that human rights and the sustainability of the environment—indeed, human security and all its components—should be the cornerstone of any assistance policies.

2. The more specific policy recommendations focusing on promoting sustainability in resource use, considering thoughtfully the complexities that underlie population growth rates and addressing the inequitable distribution of income and access to resources between and within countries, would be:

(a) An increase in support for women’s reproductive health and rights. Following the outcome of the UN Population Conference in Cairo in 1994, there must be support and funding for a comprehensive perspective on women’s health and human rights.
(b) There must be greater focus on agricultural activities and the role of multi-nationals in aggravating the resource inequities that exist in many countries. This should also include a focus on reducing erosion and deforestation, and increasing the sustainability of small farms in marginal areas.
(c) Greater effort should be made to improve environmental awareness and knowledge at all levels. This includes care for the environment and sustainable resource use.
(d) In this context, an adequate supply of freshwater is crucial. It is also imperative that treated water is recycled for agricultural uses. Inefficient use of water, water loss in urban areas, and the lack of systems to use recycled water greatly affect social welfare.

The complex nature of environment-population ­linkages makes it difficult to develop policy ­recommendations that are as concrete as many would like. However, it is apparent that environmental degradation and resource depletion, often filtered through contexts of poverty and inequity, can ­contribute to population movement.

Population growth – Effect on food supplies and environment:

Population growth – Effect on food supplies and environment:

As the world population continues to grow in almost all continents, great pressure is being placed on arable land, water, energy, and biological resources to provide an adequate supply of food while maintaining the integrity of our ecosystem. As the world population grows, the food problem will become increasingly severe. The most venerable will be population in developing countries. The per capita availability of world grains, which make up 80 per cent of the world's food, has been declining for the past 25 years. Certainly with a quarter million people being added to the world population each day, the need for grains and all other food will reach unprecedented levels.

A. Below, world population and its growth trend is given.

* 10,000 years ago, 10 million people,

* By 1850, population was 1 billion,

* 80 more years to reach 2 billion (1930),

* 45 years, it doubled again (4 billion in 1975),

* 12 years to reach to reach 5 billion (1987),

* 6 billion in 1999,

* By the year 2020, there will be 8 billion?

There are ¼ million people added to the planet per day. This exponential growth is mostly happening in developing nations.

B. More than 99 per cent of the world's food supply comes from the land, while less than 1 per cent is from oceans and other aquatic habitats. The continued production of an adequate food supply is directly dependent on ample fertile land, fresh water, energy, plus the maintenance of biodiversity. As the human population grows, the requirements for these resources also grow. Even if these resources are never depleted, on a per capita basis they will decline significantly because they must be divided among more people.

At present, fertile agricultural land is being lost at an alarming rate. More than one-third of the world's cultivated land (1.5 billion hectares) has already been abandoned during the past 40 years because erosion has made it unproductive and this degradation of agricultural land is almost permanent. Most replacement of eroded agricultural land is now coming from marginal and forest land. Thus, pressure for agricultural land accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the world's deforestation. The shortage of productive fertile land combined with decreasing land productivity is the major cause of current food shortages and associated human malnutrition.

C. Water is another critical item for all crops. Massive amounts of water are required during the growing season for cultivation. In fact, agricultural production consumes more fresh water (about 87 per cent of the world's fresh water) than any other human activity. In many countries, people are facing shortage of fresh water. Competition for water resources among individuals, regions, and countries and associated human activities is already occurring with the current world population. Water resources, critical for irrigation, are under great stress as populous cities, states, and countries require and withdraw more water from rivers, lakes, and aquifers every year. A major threat to maintaining future water supplies is the continuing over-draft of surface and ground water resources.

D. Fossil energy is another prime resource used for food production. Nearly 80 per cent of the world's fossil energy used each year is used by the developed countries. The intensive farming technologies of developed countries use massive amounts of fossil energy for fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and for machines as a substitute for human labor. In developing countries, fossil energy has been used primarily for fertilizers and irrigation to help maintain yields rather than to reduce human labor inputs. Because fossil energy is a finite resource, its depletion accelerates as population needs for food and services escalate. Thus, cost of fuel increases everywhere.

E. Certainly improved technology will assist in more effective management and use of resources, but it cannot produce an unlimited flow of those vital natural resources that are the raw materials for sustained agricultural production. For instance, fertilizers enhance the fertility of eroded soils, but humans cannot make topsoil. Indeed, fertilizers made from finite fossil fuels are presently being used to compensate for eroded topsoil. A productive and sustainable agricultural system depends on maintaining the integrity of biodiversity. Strategies for the future must be based on the conservation and careful management of land, water, energy, and biological resources needed for food production.

F. Yet none of these measures will be sufficient to ensure adequate food supplies for future generations unless the growth in the human population is simultaneously curtailed. Several studies have confirmed that to maintain a relatively high standard of living throughout the world, the optimum world population should be less than 2 billion. Therefore, from now until an optimum population is achieved, strategies for the conservation of land, water, energy, and biological resources are to be implemented effectively. Maintaining a sound and productive environment allover its protection is essential.

Interrelationship of population, environment and development:

Interrelationship of population, environment and development:

Population and Environment: Rapid increase in population disturbs the biotic environment. The rate, at which world population is increasing, is alarming. Human beings are forced to encroach upon forests, mountains, sea and rivers, for space and food. More habitable and cultivable land is required, as also more space is needed for grazing the cattle. Wild animals are being killed indiscriminately for food and money. Trees are being cut to satisfy the needs of fuel and timber. This has caused an ecological crisis. If it is not checked, it is bound to bring disaster. Explosion of population has also caused overcrowding. It has caused physical discomfort, which creates mental tension. Living with mental tension is bound to cause social and health disorders.

Environment and Sustainable Development: In earlier days, human beings were leading a harmonious life with nature. In the age of science and technology, they are capable of using more natural resources to create an environment of their own. As such, the natural environment is shaped, guided and directed by socio-economic considerations. This practice has led to degradation of natural environment. Old villages, hills, beaches, etc., have been converted into cities and big towns. In order to increase communication for trade purposes, a network of roads and transport has been established. Tourism has been given importance and big hotels have been constructed. Agricultural lands have been used in constructing big hotels, industries, etc. Big dams have been constructed in order to generate more electricity for the industries. Water bodies have shrunken.

To maintain a balance between environment and development, it is necessary to strive for sustainable development to meet the needs of present generation without foreclosing the options for future generation. To achieve this, one has to consider different aspects of development. Conservation, sustainability and biological diversity are interrelated. If human beings have to survive, they have to live in harmony with nature. More plants have to be planted. Green grassy patches have to be interspersed between concrete buildings. We will have to adopt such technologies which are environment friendly, sound, and based on maximizing recycling and efficient use of resources.