How to Feed a Warming Planet

In a change of pace for Decouple, I am joined by Dr. Channa Prakash
for a wide-ranging discussion on crop science and agriculture. We
discuss biotechnology, its history, and the great positive changes
it has brought to global food production. We also assess the
strongest criticisms. Among those are concerns that we have become
dependent on chemical inputs for farming, namely pesticides and
fertilizers, and that this has often lead to the over-application
of these chemicals resulting in environmental hazards.
Additionally, many are concerned that a reliance on these chemical
inputs, or on genetically modified crop varieties, has led to the
“corporatization” of farming. Dr. Prakash brings numerous
real-world examples policy blunders regarding food, often with
destructive consequences. In particular, we focus in on Sri Lanka,
where the recent banning of fertilizer and pesticide imports in a
move to become an all-organic food exporter has set off a farming
and economic crisis. The soft face of these harsh policies is the
organic food movement, which has gained popularity in recent years.
While some consumers may decide to purchase organic foods for a
higher price, believing them to be more sustainably grown, organic
certification opposes some of the very principles that have allowed
us to feed growing populations. And it opposes the crop science
that may enable us to use fewer pesticides and fertilizers, meet
the nutritional of the hungry, and adapt to the challenges to food
security posed by a changing climate. Finally, we take a step back
to reflect on our relationship with food, why we have such strong
opinions about how it’s grown and where it comes from, and patterns
in the social acceptance of different technologies. Dr. Channa S.
Prakash is a Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Tuskegee
University (USA) where he has served as faculty since 1989 and is a
professor of crop genetics, biotechnology, and genomics. Everybody
should follow his fantastic Twitter profile: @AgBioWorld