Food Security in Global setting - Essay Example

Food Security in Global Setting: A summary of Walters, Reece. 2006. “Crime, Bio-agriculture and the Exploitation of Hunger.” Question No. 1 and 2 The hasty growth of biotechnology that has resulted to the introduction of genetically modified organisms to world’s food chain has triggered debates and discussions not only among the consumers but also to the governments, scientists and farmers. The author, Walters attempts to show that health and safety, commerce and trade and biodiversity and the environment have been the main issues that have emerged from many international discussions which have been held to deliberate on the matter.

Over the past decades, discussions on political economy of food and hunger have been the primary agendas in international workshops and seminars. Walters tries to show that for most of the thriving business persons in United States, hunger has been the pretext of promoting the consumption of genetically modified crops. However, the development and sale of genetically modified crops and food lingers as a matter of acute disagreement in world trade, as matters of environment, economics, customer protection, and health are significantly disputed (Walters, 2006).

This article focuses on the commercialization of genetically modified crops and foods and the belligerent trade guidelines of authorities, and companies committed to wealth accretion are the implementation a “highly criminogenic force” that engrosses actions of governmental damage and violation of global law. This study has examined the monopolization of biotechnology and the governmental financial system of genetically altered crops (Walters, 2006). In addition, this article evaluates the means through which multinational corporations and strong governments look for ways on how to take over the world food market while threatening, pressuring and taking advantage of the vulnerable nations (Walters, 2006).

Question 3 This study has used Zambia as a case study, which gives it an upper hand in showing a good picture of the way political pressure has been used by the Western Countries on Zambia to use the genetically modified crops. Zambia is a good example of vulnerable countries that have experienced food shortages in the past, and had been under pressure by the western authorities and corporations to accept genetically modified food (Walters, 2006). As one of the strengths of this study, it has employed theoretical study design.

The conclusions of this study are based on eighteen interviews carried out in Zambia. Moreover, trips to the commercial and organic farmers in the outskirts of Lusaka and debates with the small-scale farmers, consumer groups and farmer unions also assisted in drawing the conclusions of the study. These methods of collection of data provided first hand information on the pressure inflicted on Zambia (Walters, 2006). These interviews sought to understand why such a country with a majority of people suffering from hunger would decline genetically modified food assistance and the motives that may well give details on the economic and governmental demands consigned on Zambia’s government, farmers, scientists, and businesses (Walters, 2006).

The conclusions are drawn from the results of the interviews carried out in Zambia. Liberalization of trade is well brought out in the article as a pretext for the development of GM crops. In addition, upcoming environment crimes within genetically modified crops are shown as factors that affect environmental and human wellbeing and necessitate criminological plan that goes beyond disciplinary limits and betroth different accounts in trade and law, on top of the ordinary and social sciences (Walters, 2006).

As a way of showing how prevention, control and trial of environment related offenses call for involvement with the global and the local, the author of the study suggests that criminology must set out numerous approaches to control the increasing harms and risks placed by ruling organizations within the commercial and political affairs of genetically modified crops. In addition, he suggests that victimization by the international super powers needs an action-led criminology, able to respond to the realities of the people and nation affected (Walters, 2006).

This paper has showed that free trade and commercialization have been the reasons for the development of the genetically modified foods. In addition, this article has shown that the powerful western countries victimize the vulnerable nations by pressuring them to accept genetically modified food in order reduce their hunger and starvation (Walters, 2006). However, though political pressure by Western countries is noted in Zambia, the author does not try to show whether this is the case in all African countries in need of food assistance.

In addition, the author does not treat the readers as equal. A reader may need to understand the other factors that have led to the development of genetically modified foods apart from the free trade used as a pretext. Question 4 If I were to replicate this research, my main research question would be “have biotechnology monopolization and the development of genetically modified crops been used as a pretext for trade liberalization?” This is because the monopolization of biotechnology and the development of the GM food have resulted to illegal and unethical actions and are only justified by the superpower nations as a result of free trade.

References Walters, R. (2006). Crime, Bio-agriculture and the Exploitation of Hunger. Britain Journal of Criminology, 46, 26-45.