Deaths from hunger, simple infections, rampant poverty and malaria are an everday part of life for people living in Mali, Africa. The hopes of using biotechnology as a way to feed the hungry failed for several reasons, particularly from gene technology moving from public to private ownership.

Cloning Rice Gene Provides no Relief to the People in Mali, Africa

To many Bela people living in Mali, the cloned African gene is thought of as a gift and to others it is looked upon as a burden.

The wild rice, Oryza longistaminata, is destroyed through the use of chemicals by commerical farmers in Africa because of its damaging tangles of roots and leaves. The seminomadic Bela people, on the other hand, cherish it and use it for building shelters and as a form of food supply during difficult times.

The Bela people expressed anger and confusion after finding out that university officials from the United States were making profits through licenscing one of their genes to biotechnology companies. The Bela peole couldn't understand why it wasn't being used to help them with providing safe water, food and clothing--things that were needed for their everyday survivial.

Biotechnology--The Cure to the Hunger Crisis?

Coming to the aid of world hunger has always been a staple of American culture and agriculture. One expert agreed that analyzing how to feed future starving generations won't help the worldwide crisis, but biotechnology would. Pest-resistant bananas, high-yielding black-eyed peas and millet immune to parasitic infection are examples of some of the biotechnology products presently in the production process for the people in Africa.

Statistics on the Lifespan in Africa

• Average lifespan is 49-years-old
• Infant mortality rate--119 per 1,000 births
• Has the highest rate of childhood mortality--2,046 per 100,000 in the year 2000
• Average daily salary for a bricklayer is $1
• Annual average salary: $250

Disease-Resistant Rice--A Breakthrough Discovery

Researchers began to clone the disease-fighting gene known as Xa21 and believed that splicing the gene through crop biotechnology into domestic rice could help feed the poor in Third World countries.

The Wealthy Taking Advantage of the Findings

Since biotechnology has the authority to patent genes, concerns have been raised over the possibility of prosperous nations reaping the benefits from the genes, without compensating the poor nations.

Patent Issues

The number of plant-related biotechnology patents issued has risen from only 16 in 1981 to 289 in 1993 and almost 2,400 in 2003. Researchers stated that patents cause complications and hold back research efforts. Some universities and foundations are trying to break the patent problems by making accesible patents to advance the biotech varieties to the poor Third World nations.

Many Africans remain leary of biotechnology and perceive it as another attempt by the First World to help feed the poor and will ultimately bring more harm upon them than good.

Sacramento Bee June 6, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The Sacramento Bee has put together this in-depth five-part series of articles about genetically engineered foods. Hats off to the reporters who put this series together. It is the most comprehensive coverage of genetically engineered foods that any newspaper in the United States has done. Plus, a great deal of attention was paid to presenting this material on their Web site in an attractive and artistic manner, as you will see at the link above. Genetically modified crops are growing at the fastest rate right here in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2003, 101.5 million acres of GM crops were planted in the United States. This poses a great cause for concern, as there are NO STUDIES with humans, on what happens when someone consumes genetically modified foods. The FDA has ASSUMED that they are equivalent to the original and never required any studies to have them approved. After reading about the alarming growing number of GM crops, the question on most people's minds is how do I find products that haven't been genetically modified? For a list of ideas you can read my past article, How do You Know if Your Food is Genetically Modified?, but one of the best ways to avoid genetically modified foods is to buy organic, as these foods are typically free of GM ingredients. I realize that some people living in rural areas don't have access to organic foods. If you fall into this category and are looking for healthy sources of organic foods, I do offer a variety of organic meats in my Web site store. Related Articles: World's Worst Diseases Face New Foe: Biotechnology Biotechnology is a Vital Issue That Impacts All of Us GM Crops Raise Price of Organic Food Dangers of Genetically Altered Foods Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods and Crops: Why We Need A Global Moratorium The US Is One of Only a Few Countries Using Genetically Engineered Food