The Use of Biotechnology to Address the Food Program of Developing Countries - Essay Example

Topic: Course: Professor: Date Introduction The world today, especially the developing countries face a lot of problems ranging from environment, social and economic. In the developing countries, the rise in incomes has led to demand for more demand for health products, agricultural products and other related products such as fishing and forestry. There has been an increase in the exploitation of the natural resources due to high demand that has outstripped the supply. Most of the developing countries are endowed with resources yet they are left behind in development. There have been cases of poverty due to insufficient food in the developing countries. This has led to situations where these countries have been left with lack of food security. The world population is expanding with most of the population increase being found in the developing countries. This makes food security and development of the developing counties a major concern as the population expands. Among the many solutions that can help increase food security and improve the economy is biotechnology. This refers to use of living organisms or their substances to modify and improve plants and animals. Use of biological sciences can help a lot in making sure that there is a value addition to the country’s produce (Brink, Woodward & DaSilva, 2003). This essay will prove that biotechnology can be used to provide a solution to the problems of sustainable development in industry and business through commercializing crops, poverty eradication and creation of industries. Use of biotechnology will lead to commercialization of crops. Most of the developing countries have low output of crops yields which leads to poor commercialization. The indigenous yields are in most cases insufficient which makes it hard for the countries to export them. The attacks by pesticides and low yields make it hard to market most of the indigenous crops. Use of biotechnology has the potential to increase the yields. It has been proved that biotechnology foods have been a major contributor to food security. This has been through saving the use of pesticides and conserving biodiversity. This has helped in alleviating poverty and also saving the environment through reduced use of pesticide. The increased yields of the biotech crops are a major advantage, especially in the developing countries. The farmers have the ability to sell their surplus crops as compared to the indigenous farming. The global statistics have indicated that the biotech crop requires less labor and have sustainable yields. The land used for farming the biotech foods is also less as compared to the indigenous crops. For the convectional crops to produce the same yields, the acreage will have to be more which makes them less for commercialization. Looking at the industries, most of the food industries utilize biotechnology in their operations. There have been the use of genetically engineered organisms especially proteases. The dairy industries have been in use of proteases in their processes for a very long time. The genetically engineered proteases have been used in many applications such as pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry (Rittmann & McCarty, 2001). Use of genetically engineered proteases has led to commercialization of it by many industries throughout the world. Through the use of biotechnology, commercialization of crops and many of its products is possible due to high output. The growth of business and industries depends directly on the level of commercialization of the by products. Agricultural industries act as an important sector, especially in the developing countries due to value addition. The increase in yields will lead to increase in the number of industries and business in the developing world. The sustainability of these industries will depend on the level of production of the food crops. Other business such as the financial sector depends on the success of businesses such as agriculture. These show how the commercialization of crops due to biotechnology helps in business and industry development (Sumantha, Larroche & Pandey, 2006). Poverty is a major problem in the developing countries that affects both business and industry development. Most of the developing countries face acute shortage of food, especially during droughts and other natural calamities. One of the major causes of poverty is lack of a proper framework to make sure there is food security. There is also low job creation in the developing countries, which makes most of the citizens live below the poverty line. Use of biotechnology is one of the vital steps in making sure there is sustainable development. The use of biotechnology in the agricultural sector has a benefit in that it helps in conserving the environment (Serageldin, & Persley, 2000). Biotechnologically engineered crops are capable to withstand pests. They also save a lot in terms of fossil fuel use. This helps in making sure that there is low carbon emission to the environment. This leads to huge savings in the developing countries, though reduced expenditure on pesticides and fossil fuels. A study has estimated that the use of biotech crops saves pesticides by up to 8.9 percent, which has a high savings in cash and an environment. In order to meet the food demands in the developing world for now and future, agricultural yields output has to increase to a high level. There is also need for the developing countries to reduce their expenditure use of fertilizers and pesticides though use of biological products. This should be done with attention being paid to conserve the natural resources. The major issue lies in the context that the developed countries may not agree to pay the developing countries due to exploitation of their indigenous genetic crops. The benefits associated with biotechnology in the agricultural sector include an increase in production of high quality crops such as maize, rice and potatoes. One of the main areas that biotechnology requires to improve on so as to eradicate poverty is infrastructure. Lack of proper infrastructure in the developing countries for biotechnology is a major hindrance to the success of biotechnology in eradicating poverty. There have also been campaigns that have targeted biotechnology in these countries that has made its reception slow. It’s important to realize that with poverty, there can be no development of industries and business. It’s therefore vital to adopt measures that will help reduce the level of poverty in the developing countries such as used of biotechnology. Poverty eradication can be achieved through the use of biotechnology, especially in the agricultural sector in developing countries (Meyer, 2011). Biotechnology contributes to the development of industries and business. Implementation of biotechnology leads to the training of scientists and technicians. This is in line with helping to implement the system in the country. Increase in food production in the country due to biotechnology will lead to increase in food processing industries. This in turn will lead to increased employment through job creation. Food processing industries depend entirely on agricultural production. Biotechnology is a vital part of economy, which is both sustainable and competitive. Industrial biotechnology is another sector that has a great importance. This involves the manufacture of chemicals, materials and fuels. The use of biotechnology has made it possible to create more opportunities in the developed world. Biotechnology has the capability of replacing the existing chemical processes in the industries. This has enabled bulk fermentation processes to be carried out. The use bulk fermentation processes have led to high chemical volumes to be made. There will also be a reduction of energy used in the countries which will reduce the expenditure. Through the use of biotechnology, there will be introduction of industries that are competitive and reliable for future sustainability. Materials that are hard to manufacture using the convectional methods will be easily manufactured. Biotechnology use in the industries supports the use of renewable and eco-friendly materials. One of the industrial growths due to biotechnology is increase in sales. There has been increase in chemical sales due to help of biotechnology. There is a huge potential in biotechnology in the industrial sector. This can help a lot in creating employment and industrial growth. There is need for more investment in biotechnology through the creation of appropriate infrastructure. This will enable the countries to reap the full benefits of biotechnology (EuropaBio, 2011). Conclusion Most of the developing countries lag behind in development due to food shortage and lack of employment. The use of biotechnology serves as one of the major steps that can help alter the situation and make these countries reap full benefits. Use of biotechnology helps a lot in fuel conservation, which is a key to environmental conservation. Environmental protection is a major challenge in the developed as well as developing countries. Biotechnology supports the mass production of products. This can be asserted by the use of genetically modified proteases which have made it possible for use in many applications in the industry. Laying the appropriate framework for the development of biotechnology will help the developing countries have surplus food which will help in alleviating poverty and also for export market. The money earned from the export of surplus food crops is an important source of foreign exchange. This will help these countries develop and have a sustainable economy. Care needs to be taken so as to make sure that the biotechnology being used does not have adverse effects through research. It’s evident that biotechnology can be an important answer to sustainable business and industries. References Brink, J. A., Woodward, B. R. & DaSilva, E. J. (2003). Plant biotechnology: a tool for development in Africa. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, 1(3), 1-88. EuropaBio. (2011). Industrial or White Biotechnology Research for Europe, Retrieved 27th Jan 2014 from: http://www.europabio.org/industrial-or-white-biotechnology-research-europe Meyer, H.P. (2011). Sustainability and Biotechnology. Organic Process Research & Development, 15(1), 180-188. Rittmann, B. E. & McCarty, P. L. (2001). Environmental biotechnology: Principles and applications. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Serageldin, I., & Persley, G. J. (2000). Promethean science: Agricultural biotechnology, the environment, and the poor. Washington, D.C: Secretariat, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. Sumantha, A., Larroche, C., & Pandey, A. (2006). Microbiology and Industrial Biotechnology of Food-Grade Proteases: A Perspective. Food Technology and Biotechnology, 44(1), 211-220. Read More