The director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has defended his institution’s pro-biotechnology stance in a recent State of Food and Agriculture report, roundly criticised by environmentalists.
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Jacques Diouf said although he “always maintained” GMOs are “not needed to achieve the World Food Summit objective” of halving hunger by 2015, they would be needed to cope with a projected world population increase from six to nine billion by 2050, requiring 60% more food.
“We will have to use the scientific tools of molecular biology […] the identification of molecular markers, genetic mapping and gene transfer for more effective plant enhancement, beyond phenotype-based methods.”
