The world population has reached 7 billion. By 2050, it is estimated that the figure will rise by 2 billion. The staggering growth rate means the world will need more food in the next 50 years than it needed in the past 10,000 years. At the same time, the world is using resources 50 percent faster than the planet can sustain.
These estimates show just how vital a sustainable food solution is to the world, but there is much debate about how to achieve this.
Biotech multinationals such as Syngenta contend that enhancing crop productivity should be the goal. The Swiss agribusiness believes crop protection chemicals and development of new seed varieties are the keys to achieve this goal.
To find a sustainable food solution, a debate over technology ensues. Will technology produce higher yields? Is the technology safe? Does it pose health risks to humans? Does it harm the ecosystem? These are just a few questions that arise.
Syngenta’s studies show chemicals and seeds can improve yields. The company’s integrated solution named GroMore, a crop protection and agronomy protocol, has shown that it can increase the yield of rice crops by 20 percent. While the statistics are encouraging, some wonder about the stability and safety of the seeds and chemicals used to sustain growth.
Disputed technology
According to a survey conducted by Syngenta last July, the majority of participants believe producing more food will be one of the next decade’s most important challenges. The survey, which included 8,000 participants from 13 countries, found an overall acceptance of technology but also found concerns about specific products. The majority supported less use of pesticides and genetically modified seeds. Organic farming was the favored method.
While crop protection chemicals are proven to boost productivity, their safety continues to be questioned.
In January, the European Commission placed a temporary ban on thiamethoxam, a pesticide used to coat seeds before germination. Syngenta is a major producer of this pesticide. Thiamethoxam is an active ingredient in Syngenta’s Cruiser seed treatment. The commission made the decision after the European Food Safety Authority said the chemical posed “high acute risks” to honeybees in certain situations. Environmental activist groups welcomed the ban, citing evidence from scientific journals that the chemical damaged the nervous systems of bees and other pollinators. Syngenta has taken legal action.
At the same time, interest in organic produce has grown, as sentiments against herbicides and pesticides have developed. However, organic produce is not free from safety concerns. A study of organic and conventional farms in Minnesota showed that organic produce is more likely than conventional produce to have fecal contamination from manure used as fertilizer.
“The answer is not whether or not we should use chemicals in agriculture. The task at hand is to figure out how to wisely utilize chemicals while minimizing damage,” said a professor of agriculture who declined to be named.
Meanwhile, it seems that there is a generally negative sentiment toward genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A GMO is an organism whose genetical material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, to obtain traits such as faster growth, resistance to pathogens and production of extra nutrients.
Eight countries in the European Union have banned U.S. biotech giant Monsanto’s GMO corn, due to environmental concerns.
While the controversy regarding the safety of GMOs continues, opponents argue that today’s technology is not advanced enough to prove that they are safe.
Regarding this, the professor said “It’s not so much an issue of science or technology, but more one of time.”
According to him, the potential side effects from consuming genetically modified products could become a problem for future generations; however, it’s too soon to tell how much of a problem this could be, or if it will be a problem at all.
Issues Korea faces
While the global food crisis will impact everyone, each country faces its own challenges.
In Korea, rice imports continue to climb even though fewer people are consuming it. Korea received a decade-long grace period to open up to rice imports in the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations in 1994, and got another 10-year extension until 2014 on the condition that they increase the amount of imports every year. In 2005, the country imported 225,575 tons of rice. Next year, the amount is expected to hit 408,700 tons.
At the same time, consumption has dropped by 50 percent in the past 30 years and keeps dropping each year as the Korean diet becomes more Westernized. According to Statistics Korea, rice consumption dropped 2 percent to 69.8 kilograms last year. In 2011, consumption stood at 71.2 kilograms.
While rice imports grow, the nation’s food self-sufficiency rate is falling. In 2012, Korea’s food self-sufficiency rate stood at 22.8 percent, a 1.5 percent drop from the previous year. Korea’s rate is among the lowest of OECD member states, ranking 28 out of 34 states in 2010.
Food self-sufficiency refers to grain self-sufficiency, which includes rice, wheat, corn and soybeans. While Korea is around 80 percent self-sufficient in producing rice, Korea makes just 1 to 2 percent of its own wheat and corn. The growing consumption of meat is also a concern as farm animals place an additional burden on food consumption.
“Even if all of the arable land in Korea is used for agriculture, it is impossible for the country to be able to become entirely self-sufficient in producing crops,” said Im Jeong-bin, an agricultural economics professor at Seoul National University. “This means we need to continue to import.”
With Korea being the fifth-largest importer of crops, it is essential that its importers produce stable yields, which is where agrochemical companies like Syngenta come in.
The rising age of Korean farmers is also a concern. According to 2012 data from Statistics Korea, the average age of the population in rural communities is 64.4. The aging rate, which calculates the percentage of the population that is of 65 years or older, was 35.6 percent in rural communities, greater than three times the national rate of 11.8 percent.
Such a phenomenon has dire implications. The aging population indicates that fewer young people are getting into the business. As a result, the number of farms is shrinking along with yields and profits. Statistics Korea shows 64.9 percent of farmers failed to reach 10 million won last year.
Syngenta’s Chief Operating Officer, Davor Pisk says it’s vital to attract young people to agriculture.
“We have too many young people growing up in cities who don’t understand agriculture anymore. The government can play a role in making agriculture more attractive, by creating opportunities at school to learn about it, so that it isn’t seen as an activity that is labor-intensive but as an intellectually exciting and profitable career,” he said.
Companies like Syngenta say they can help older farmers with technology. Technology can make farming activities less labor-intensive and not only keep farmers in the business longer, but also help them farm more land. This could improve yields and profits. Plus, this kind of technology could help attract the young generation.
