By virtue of biotechnology knowledge available till date we are producing high yielding, disease/insect resistant crops, meats, fermenting wines, producing live saving therapeutics. Biotechnology is now a days is considered to be present in every aspect of daily resources that we are constantly using.

Biotechnology is definitely a solution to food security issues in developing countries considering the huge demand for foods with a limited supply.

Sure, biotechnology is a solution but with limitations. Its effects need to be augmented by other technologies in areas to be adversely affected by climate change. As making water supply assured in the situation of water scarcity and used up groundwater (nanotechnology to desalinate water, treat and purify waste-water), crop selection taxing less on soil and water resources, techniques to minimize pests attack (crop diversification), expansion of arable land making available water in fragile agroecosystems of arid semi-arid lands.

Yes this could be the only solution to meet the need of growing population. But precautions & saftey issue including quality compromise should be taken care. This could be also the start of new pharmacological food crops based drugs to curb diabetic and diseases that occurs due to malnutrition in the developing countries.

I am agree with M. Firoz Khan,Biotechnology is Methods to minimize pest attack (product diversification),Produce or modify products ,Gene knockout.so it can be a solution in growing population.

Population holocaust, especially in developing countries has created the need for an ever-larger food supply. Biotechnology is seen as a potential means to increase world food output and reduce food insecurity by improving crop yields and reducing crop loss. By adding genes to conventional crops to help them resist pests, disease, or drought, producers of biotech seed can make crops that use less of an expensive input or crops that produce higher yields. Any one, or several, of these improvements can be tailored to make individual crops more likely to thrive in a particular country’s growing conditions, and can potentially allow a wider variety of innovations. Conventional crop varieties can also be altered to enhance their micro-nutrient and protein content so as to provide greater nutrition.

However, biotechnological revolution can have an adverse effect on small farmers and exacerbate social, economic and environmental problems within the present framework, where innovations are driven by profit rather than by need-oriented R & D. Consumers in developing countries will be benefitted if biotech crops are less expensive or more nutritious than traditional crops. Another issue is the current debate on conflict over questions of ownership and control over biological materials, the role of patenting and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). A number of economic and ecological criteria must be met to unleash the potential of biotechnology.

Yes, biotechnology is one of the tools in the tool box to solve the food security issues. With the declining natural resources, increasing population, declining cultivable land area, and the climate change agricultural production across the world is becoming very challenging. Productivity growth in major food crops is declining. The production uncertainties are affecting the food prices leading to hunger and riots in many part of the world. This suggests that traditional approaches to address production problems are inadequate and suggests the need for new technological interventions such as biotechnology.

Overall private sector dominates the agbiotech sector and this raises questions about monopoly pricing, food sovereignty etc, especially in developing countries. Further private sector focuses on certain crops with large market potential. One way to address this problem is for the public sector to focus on crops and traits unattractive for private sector, and focus on the upstream research that will encourage more private sector participation in the agbiotech sector.

However, the uncertainties associated with regulatory policies in countries such as India is affecting R&D investment in the agbiotech sector. A transparent, flexible, predictable and science based regulatory policy is essential for biotech industry growth.

Since private sector focuses on hybrid segments, they use hybrids as a biological form of IPR. A technological or legal form of protection is also necessary to attract private sector investment into agbiotech.

Hi, Biotechnology which is any modification comprising process (fermentation, germination, any post harvest practice) gene transfer or modification may really contribute to solve food and nutrition insecurity only if all the risk are known and can be controlled. Up to date, biotechnological products deriving from genetic modification yielding (GMO) are not certified safe. However, it is possible to use biotechnology to control degrease, post harvest losses, to increase production of foods either from animal or vegetable sources. There are safe aspects of biotechnology, mainly, natural biological fight against insects and parasites. New techniques can be develop for more transformation and food preservation to reduce losses for more food availability. Definitively, biotechnology can be a good tool to fight against malnutrition. However, more research is needed for genetic modified food.

With the help of biotechnology only we achieved higher yields and quality improvement in crops, pest control, there is overall increase in milk production from milch animals, to control and prevent diseases, development of healthy foods (probiotics/synbiotics) etc. So, we should agree that biotechnology be regarded as a potential solution to food security issues in developing nations.

Dear Nihir Shah, yes, I agree with your contribution. It is very important that those biotechnology applications reach the at risk populations (rural populations, poor families in towns or urban settings), because, they need more nutritious foods and more nutrients to prevent or cure malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

Yes, I agree, however, the major concern I have would be in regards to the potential "harmful" complications that are possible to occur from unknown side effects. Advancement to ease and help sustain life is always a great thing in theory, but the things we find ourselves trying to correct later are like defects, abnormal developments and the possible increase in preexisting illnesses from scientific breakthroughs, even in regards to the foods we eat.

I wish I could suggest a fail safe. But the issues that pertain to food security and malnutrition is urgent and maybe worth the risks if it means we could save lives. After all, the majestic thing about life is how well humans adapt to its ever changing environment.

To really argue an answer to this question, it should be clearer what do "biotechnology" and "food security issues" mean. Is "biotechnology" "any modification comprising process (fermentation, germination, any post harvest practice) gene transfer or modification" as said by Kana-Sop. Marie Modestine? If so, it comprises such a wide array of different things that it would be risky to address them as a whole. It is very much like the debates on "the importance of biodiversity for sustainable development", such a broad issue that the debate is sterile unless clear, concrete aspects of "biodiversity" and "sustainable dev" are focussed.

Allow me to say that I do not trust in any "solution" or "technology" who promises to solve the world's problems. E.g. for food security issues, it has not been addressed in this discussion how complex it is. Maybe 40-50 years ago it was addressed as a roblem of "unsufficient food quantity". We know very well now that access to food is even more important than food quantity. Even admitting that "biotechnology" could improve food production, who will benefit? The poor? Even if these "biotechnologies (which ones?)" are provided to the populations more at risk, will they really benefit from this? And how eventually?

It is well known how many further problems were generated by "solutions to increase food production , see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8306.1977.tb01147.x/abstract .

I agree with Deepthy Kolady whan says "Overall private sector dominates the agbiotech sector and this raises questions about monopoly", with the claim for "open minded and informative communication/discussion process with the public at all stages of the projects" by Janosch Klebensberger , and with YOGESH TRIPATHI when says that "biotechnological revolution can have an adverse effect on small farmers and exacerbate social, economic and environmental problems within the present framework, where innovations are driven by profit rather than by need-oriented R & D" .

But again, I think various aspects of the question should be better focussed.

There are lot of aspects of food security. Food biotechnology only ensure the provision of nutritious food with probably elevated level of supply. It will not cover other aspects of food security. So we can say it can partially ensure food security

Ambrogio Costanzo has the best answer. When I was a Ph D student 40 years ago I was told that biotechnology will save the world from suffering hunger. So far I have not seen the promised results. There advances, no doubt. But working most of my life with small farmers in Latin America I can assure you that they are not receiving the benefit, if any, of this technologies. On the contrary I see multinational companies making big money and not passing the benefits to the most needed. By sure it happens the same in Africa and some other countries in Asia.

Yes it can!!! It just needs the right leaders to those countries. It is needless to add that biotechnology alone without good policies and governance might not help much. All are required to solve the problem. Don't forget that it will take time and requires a change of mindsets in certain communities - depending on their cultural practices among other things.

Biotechnology should be seen as "one" , and probably a very important one, of the factors/strategies that need to considered when addressing global food security issues. We know that biotechnology, in a significant way, helps "speed up" conventional ways of improving/enhancing crops and livestock..... and thus reducing the time accomplishing these advances. I believe that "new" commodities/products should also play a critical role when addressing global food security issues. In fact, in terms of truly addressing global food security issues efficiently and effectively, we could probably accomplish more in the short run through bring down the socio-political barriers which currently impede the "free-er" transfer of food across the globe.

Food and agricultural biotechnology have a major role to play in sustaining food security in developing countries. It deals with the improvement of crops and livestock using biotechnological means and has the capacity to boost global crop output in the future while promoting environmentally friendly agricultural production patterns. The limitations of conventional plant breeding or traditional biotechnology such as gene transfer only within the same species, long period to obtain crop improvement as a result of backcrossing for several generations as well as unwanted transfer of other deleterious genes together with the genes of interest have been solved through modern biotechnology. This is defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to mean the application of in-vitro nucleic acid techniques, or fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family, that overcome natural, physiological, reproductive / recombination barriers. Hence we now have crops resistance to pests and diseases such as Bt corn and cotton (improvement in agronomic traits) as well as nutritional enhancement through biofortification e.g oilseeds with improved fatty acid profiles, staple foods with enhanced contents of essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins e.g golden rice with pro-vitamin A, e.t.c. The concern should be on how to tap into modern biotechnology, maximize the benefits of the technology and minimize the risks in terms of environmental harm and human health risks. Biosafety should be taken into consideration in utilizing biotechnology for food security.

Please consider the following article, which gives an insight on how, the more stressed are the environments, the less efficient is the strategy to find a "single" trait to "solve the problem".

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00042061#page-1

Consider all those situation where food security is threatened by environmental constraints and unpredictability , as climate change. As an example, many efforts have been done to find , e.g., drought resistant genotypes, flood resistant crops and whatever. Major threats to food production nowadays are just the unpredictable stress. I can sow, e.g., a flood resistant crop in an environment where floods are considered a major stress. But drought might also occurr, so how can a flood-resistant crop solve the problem? Farmers have always sown heterogeneous crops .. I heard of some in Africa who, unsure of the coming season, sow mixed rice and sorghum to ensure an harvest both with a rainy or with a dry season...

I have the impression that biotechnologycal approaches (allow me this generalisation) mostly provide "uniform" solutions, while the major challenges of climate change and food security nowadays would rather require "diverse solutions". Can anyone correct this impression of mine?

Yes, I agree to the ideas of Nihir Shah, Eduardo Segarra and Omena Ojuederie

¿Seguridad alimentaria en países en desarrollo?

¿Cuál población de los países en desarrollo?

¿Biotecnología posible solución para la seguridad alimentaria de los países en desarrollo?

¿Cual biotecnología? ¿ La autóctona? ¿La generada por las transnacionales?

La pregunta original genera debate, las respuestas dan una idea de lo que piensan los investigadores.

It is very possible that biotechnology should solve the problem of food security, especially in the developing countries if directed and monitored properly. The issue here is that the delivery channel is fractured due to the fact that government more often than not is not involved holistically. As others have commented, private companies have monopolized the market. The other fundamental wrong is that the leaders in these developing countries are not interested in biotechnology as they only embark on projects that will give them ready cash. Explicitly, there is a long way to go in these countries for the dividends of biotechnology to be properly harnessed.

I do not believe.

Interestig read!!!

We need to convince the governments to take holistic approach. It would be best if a biotechnologist makes his/her way into the government. Nevertheless, biotechnology is the key.

I think that biotechnology can provide very little to strengthen food security. It might even contribute to food insecurity. My statement is based on the assumption that right now enough food is produced world wide, but not every body has access to food as many people are just too poor to buy the food that is actually there.

I don't want to say that food science and biotechnology is part of food science has no role at all to play to achieve food security, but its importance is often seen too high. The assumption that too little food is produced to feed everybody on the planet is incorrect. Actually enough food statistically is around, but not everybody has access to what is available. Food science can cause increase in the cost of food making it unaffordable for poor people.

The Green Revolution is an example for this. High Yielding Varieties cost money, fertilizers, pesticides and other high costs for external inputs make agriculture costly. Still plant science can help to better adapt agriculture for example to a changing climate. One aspect that brings issues around food security together is the sustainable livelihood approach. Of course livelihood security is a concept much broader than food security, but there are a lot of overlaps, especially in times of climate change.....

Crucial is to keep the basis of food production is good shape. Environmental degradation is very dangerous from such perspective. Second is the distribution / access to food, which is to remove poverty. To better understand what is needed one needs to be aware of the different facets of food security.

Food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

This is how the FAO defines food security. It combines food production, distribution and consumption, looks into cultural and individual food preferences and also at quality aspects of food both from a nutrition perspective as well as from the perspective of food safety. Climate / environmental changes can have impacts on all these aspects, on food production, food distribution / access and food consumption.

Food production and climate change

all food crops have their optimum what climatic conditions such as temperature, rainfall, etc are concerned. Especially extremes (too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry) can have devastating ing impacts. Some plants can tolerate a wide range of conditions, while other plants are rather little flexible to adapt to changing climatic conditions. In addition natural hazards (floods, cyclones, droughts) can have devastating impacts destroying crops in the fields. This all does not mean that only negative impacts are from climate change to agriculture. E.G. the temperate zones towards the poles will have warmer climates allowing longer vegetation periods, longer for crops like wheat. The impacts thus have to be established in regional or even sub-regional dimensions.

Access to food and climate change

this addresses in particular the changes of food prices as a result of climate change. Here in particular countries are affected that already now import big parts of their food requirements, like Kiribati, Tuvalu and other atoll states. Already today food imports make much of their imports and have very negative impacts on their BoP situation. On the micro-level afford rising food prices. They have to change to cheaper foods, often of lesser quality.

McCarthy, J. F., & Obidzinski, K. (2017). Framing the food poverty question: Policy choices and livelihood consequences in Indonesia. Journal of Rural Studies, 54, 344-354.

Cramer, L., Huyer, S., Lavado, A., Loboguerrero, A. M., Martínez Barón, D., Nyasimi, M., ... & van Wijk, M. (2017). Methods Proposed to Evaluate the Potential Impact of Climate Change on Food and Nutrition Security in Central America and the Dominican Republic.

Moragues-Faus, A., Sonnino, R., & Marsden, T. (2017). Exploring European food system vulnerabilities: Towards integrated food security governance. Environmental Science & Policy, 75, 184-215.

Chandra, A., McNamara, K. E., Dargusch, P., Caspe, A. M., & Dalabajan, D. (2017). Gendered vulnerabilities of smallholder farmers to climate change in conflict-prone areas: A case study from Mindanao, Philippines. Journal of Rural Studies, 50, 45-59.