Nevertheless, hunger remains persistent at the threshold of the twenty-first century. Eight hundred million people live in uncertainty about when or how they will get their next full meal, and 185 million preschool children suffer from seriously compromised mental and physical development because of malnutrition. This situation is unconscionable, especially when resources are available to meet the needs of each and every person in the world. Every man, woman, and child has the right to access to sufficient food to lead a healthy and productive life, whether that right is enshrined in official documents or not. If we are to produce enough food to meet increasing and changing food needs, to make more efficient use of land already under cultivation, to better manage our natural resources, and to improve the capacity of hungry people to grow or purchase needed food, we must put all of the tools of modern science to work.
Agricultural biotechnology is one of the most promising developments in modern science.
Used in collaboration with traditional or conventional breeding methods, it can raise crop yields or productivity, increase resistance to pests and diseases, develop tolerance to adverse weather conditions, improve the nutritional value of some foods, and enhance the durability of products during harvesting or shipping. Yet little agricultural biotechnology research is taking place in or for developing countries. Most such research is occurring in private firms in industrialized countries, focuses on the plants and animals produced in temperate climates, and aims to meet the needs of farmers and consumers in industrialized countries. It is essential that agricultural biotechnology research that is relevant to the needs of farmers in developing countries and to conditions in those countries is undertaken, and that the benefits of that research are transmitted to small-scale farmers and consumers in those countries at affordable prices. Otherwise, developing countries will not only fail to share in the benefits of agricultural biotechnology, but will be seriously hurt as synthetic alternatives to their products are developed in industrialized countries, as is already happening with cocoa and vanilla.