We must overhaul farming practices to feed world's growing population

Published on Tuesday 19 August 2008 21:35

Dan Buglass (Farming, 18 August) states that "if the world went totally organic, there would be even more hungry people around". He gives no evidence for this opinion, and my guess is that he'd struggle to do so.

Conversely, there's increasing evidence to the contrary – such as the recent report, International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, from an international group of more than 400 scientists, published by the UN.

This concludes that organic farming has real potential to help feed the world in an era of increasing oil prices and urgent need to cut greenhouse gases, because organic farming uses the sun's energy and clover to fix nitrogen in the soil, not oil and gas.

By contrast, the role of GM – a technology advocated by Mr Buglass – in feeding the world is much less clear. In 2006, the pro-GM US Department of Agriculture observed that "currently available GM crops do not increase yield potential" – a point already made by a 2004 Food and Agriculture Organisation report that acknowledged: "GM crops can have reduced yields."

HUGH RAVEN

Director, Soil Association Scotland

Tower Mains

Edinburgh

James Boyle (Letters, 19 August) asserts that "nutritionists acknowledge that we do not require animal products in our diet". Some dieticians may, indeed, accept that adults can get by on a vegetable diet but they will qualify this by pointing out that, for healthy development, children and adolescents require small quantities of amino acids found only in animal protein. While individuals may choose a meat-free diet for sentimental reasons, they should not impose their beliefs on young people.

I am also mystified by Mr Boyle's reference to Neanderthal life. We are not descended from Neanderthal man. One of the reasons our species survived while the Neanderthals died out was that our ancestors coped with the climate change of the ice ages by developing more efficient hunting skills than the Neanderthals and later translated that into livestock farming. In other words, including meat in the diet was one precursor of a modern, civilised society.

IAIN MACLEAN

Warrender Park Road

Edinburgh

As much as I respect Prince Charles's knowledge on agricultural issues, he is being naive in damning genetically modified foods (your report, 13 August).

In an ideal world we would all eat plentiful, fresh, locally grown produce. But the reality is that there is not enough food to go round all the world's citizens, and we need a viable alternative.

By 2030, the world population will have expanded by such an extent that we will require a 50 per cent increase in food production to meet demand.

By 2080, global food production will need to double. But the reality is that an area the size of the Ukraine is being taken out of agricultural food production every year due to drought and climate change. Global food production is declining rather than expanding.

Food security is now top of the political agenda and only genetically modified foods offer a potential way out of this looming crisis.

There are already many millions of farmers worldwide growing genetically modified crops and millions of people eating GM food, with no ill effects. We need to accept that we no longer live in a world where fresh food is plentiful and readily available. We need to cast aside our fears and biases and realise that GM food is the only way to ensure that we can feed the world.

STRUAN STEVENSON, MEP

The European Parliament

Rue Wiertz

Brussels