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Agricultural biotechnology in Europe and Africa

Agricultural biotechnology in Europe and Africa. Professor Anne Glover CBE Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission. 99% of our calories come from the land.

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Agricultural biotechnology in Europe and Africa

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  1. Agricultural biotechnology in Europe and Africa Professor Anne Glover CBEChief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission

  2. 99% of our calories come from the land Two-thirds of the planet’s surface is water – only 1% of global calories come from the sea (FAO figures) How much of the land can be used for food production? Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  3. About 20% of the land area is too cold for crops to grow Take out Cryosols, frozen Histosols, frozen Podzols & ice Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  4. 10% of the total land area is too high for crops to grow or the soils are too shallow Take out Leptosols and Regasols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  5. About a further 25% of the total land area is too hot or where rainfall is very low which makes the cultivation of certain crops problematic Take out Arenosols, Durisols, Gypsisols, all Calcisols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  6. In many areas, the soils have drainage limitations or are too wet for cultivation (this includes peat bogs which also have high ecological value) Take out Histosols, Gleys and Planosols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  7. Acidic soils that occur mostly under coniferous forests, predominantly in temperate regions, won’t support crops Take away Podzols, Albeluvisols and Umbrisols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  8. Naturally saline soils won’t support crops (salinisation is also a major problem in irrigated soils but is too dispersed to show at this scale) Take away Solonetz and Solonchaks Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  9. Many areas have no soil – for example, lakes and major urban areas Take away inland water and major cities Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  10. Many tropical soils lack essential nutrients or are acidic and too sandy. Low-fertility soils need artificial fertilizers or low impact use (shifting cultivation) Take away Ferrasols, Lixisols, Nitisols, Plinthisols, Acrisols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  11. Some young/developing soils can be very productive, but usually additional nutrients are needed and the soils are prone to degradation Take away Andosols and Cambisols Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  12. What remains (in orange) are the naturally highly-fertile soils that feed the world In reality, this amounts to around 13% - 18% of the land surface Source A.R. Jones JRC from FAO Map of World Soil Resources 1:25 000 000

  13. Malthusian predictions (1798)Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio. Subsistence increases only in an arithmetical ratio.

  14. So far, we have been able to cope thanks to science & technology

  15. But will we be able to cope in the future? Source: ISAAA Infographic "Can Mother Earth feed 9+ billion by 2050?"

  16. Africa's population has doubled since the 1970s Source: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (2012)

  17. Talkingabout human ingenuity: • According to FAO, in African countries womenprovide: • 70% of the agricultural workers • 90% of the hoeing and weeding work • 60% of the harvesting and marketing activities • 80% of food storage and transport from farm to village • 60-80% of the labour to produce food for household consumption and sale • 100% of the processing for basic food stuffs Image source: Concern Worldwide US, (Agatha Akandelwa, Zambia)

  18. Given the size of the demographic challenge, we cannot afford not to use all the technologies that are in our toolbox • Conventionalbreeding • Reverse breeding / doubledhaploids • Molecular breeding / marker assisted selection • Tissue culture / micropropagation • Geneticmodification

  19. Are GMOs safe? "The main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research, and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not per se more risky than e.g. conventional plant breeding technologies." (Page 16)

  20. Are GMOs safe? "There is no validated evidence that GM crops have greater adverse impact on health and the environment than any other technology used in plant breeding. There is compelling evidence that GM crops can contribute to sustainable development goals with benefits to farmers, consumers, the environment and the economy." (Page 2)

  21. Most policy-makers follow public opinion,rather than science EU Member States voting on EFSA scientific opinion Source: EuropaBio, Approvals of GMOs in the European Union, Oct. 2011

  22. Zambia: refusal of food aid containing GM maize during drought (2002) President Levy Mwanawasa: "There's no justification for feeding people poison."

  23. Are GMOs an ethical choice?Example: Golden Rice

  24. Are GMOs an ethical choice?Example: Potato blight Potato infested with phytophthorainfestans

  25. Many people do have an ethical problem with genetically modified organisms – but it's not related to science

  26. Approval process of GMOs in the EU Due to political intervention, in the EU it can take more than 10 years to approve a GMO – small companies are not able to afford this

  27. Even big companies are no longer able to afford it

  28. CFT = Confined field testing What does all of this mean for Africa? Current situation of GM crops in Africa Africa is still undecided

  29. Africa – your choice Image source: Mercy Corps

  30. Thankyouforyourattention! E-mail: ec-csa@ec.europa.eu Twitter: EU_ScienceChief

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