GM Technology Malnutrition

1. Assess the extent to which technological developments in food production
has overcome the problems of malnutrition. [8m]
Malnutrition occurs when a person consumes an imbalanced amount of
nutrients over a period of time. Such a condition is common where people do
not eat enough of certain types of food.
Technological developments in food production such as the use of modern
machines and new farming methods have allowed farmers to have greater
control over the physical limitations imposed by relief, soil and climate so as to
increase productivity of food.
Some of the major technological movements in recent decades are the
Green Revolution and the development of Genetically modified food. In Less
developed countries, food crop production could be increased through the use of
high yielding varieties of seeds. In China, rice production more than doubled
from 1961 to 1992 and Indonesia’s rice production increased by about 84% from
1970 to 1990.
Modern irrigation methods include huge irrigation facilities such as human-
made dykes, dams and canals, automated irrigation systems such as sprinklers
and sluice gates are used to control the amount of water for watering the crops.
This ensures the crops receive enough water during the dry season. Proper use
of irrigation enables 2 to 3 crops to be grown in a year. With higher food
production, more food can be available for the people and reduce malnutrition.
However, excessive irrigation could lead to salinisation and water logging.
Salinisation occurs when water added to the soil evaporates directly from moist
soil causing salt to be left behind on the soil. Water logging occurs when too
much water seeps into the soil and cause the soil to be over-saturated. This will
cause the roots to be deprived of air and nutrients, eventually killing the crops.
GM food such as Golden Rice has been infused with Vitamin A to prevent
blindness. By consuming Golden Rice, the people will also have a regular intake
of Vitamin A which reduces case of malnutrition.
However, consumption of GM food may lead to potential health risk as
allergic reactions do occur in some people. This is a growing concern as some
countries avoid importing or producing GM food for fear of health risk in the
people. Examples of countries include Egypt, Peru and Greece.
An increase in food production through technological advancement might not
necessarily decrease malnutrition due to factors such as low purchasing power,
human factors such as wars and conflicts and trade barriers.