Although there are still heated debates on genetically modified foods, they have become a part of our lives. According to the Department of Agriculture, a third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the U.S. last year were the product of biotechnology. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U.S. this year. Yet, there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a large amount of foods to choose from. On the contrary, in developing countries that are desperate to feed the fast-growing and underfed population, the issue is simpler and much more urgent: are the benefits of biotech worthy of the risks?
轉(zhuǎn)基因食品雖然引發(fā)了很多爭(zhēng)議，但是它們已經(jīng)成為我們生活中的一部分。根據(jù)農(nóng)業(yè)部的估計(jì)，美國(guó)去年所種植的玉米的1/3，大豆和棉花的一半以上都是生物技術(shù)的產(chǎn)物。今年，美國(guó)轉(zhuǎn)基因作物的種植量將達(dá)到6500多萬(wàn)英畝。然而，很顯然，還有一些非?，F(xiàn)實(shí)的問(wèn)題有待解決。任何一種食品在進(jìn)入食物鏈之前均必須經(jīng)過(guò)嚴(yán)格的檢驗(yàn)。在富裕國(guó)家里，由于可供選擇的食物非常豐富，因而關(guān)于生物技術(shù)的爭(zhēng)論相對(duì)緩和一些。然而，在人口迅速增大，果腹成為一大難題的發(fā)展中國(guó)家，問(wèn)題比較簡(jiǎn)單，也更加緊迫，生物技術(shù)是否好處大于風(fēng)險(xiǎn)呢？
The U.N. estimates that by 2050, the world population will probably near 9 billion, almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. It is estimated that nearly 800 million people around the world are under-nourished. Various shocking diseases are caused by lack of food.
聯(lián)合國(guó)預(yù)測(cè)，到2050年，世界人口可能增加到90億，其中發(fā)展中國(guó)家占絕大多數(shù)。與此同時(shí)，世界人均耕地正在減少。據(jù)估計(jì)，世界上有近8億人口營(yíng)養(yǎng)不良。因食物匱乏導(dǎo)致的各種疾病觸目驚心。
How can biotech help? Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is rich in beta-carotene and additional iron, and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage due to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses. Pest and viruses often cause large-scaled food crop failure in the developing countries. If pest-resistant genes can be put into seeds, the balance will be regained. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in the developing countries as much as 25 percent, and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested.
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