Although almost 2 years old, this review contains some valuable examples of how Genetically Modified crops can play a significant role in helping farmers (and ultimately consumers) in the developing world. Not only are yields improved, but pesticide use decreases significantly resulting in net profit increases for the farmer. Interestingly, herbicide tolerance helps, but does not have the major impact that it does in the more advanced farms in the Developed World. When combined with the more recent studies published by the US National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nap.edu/read/10977/chapter/2#15) testifying to the safety of the GMO technique, this analysis makes an incredibly powerful argument for the developing world to embrace GMO technology as quickly as possible.

Unlike consumers in the West, the developing world constantly faces food crises and cannot afford to indulge those western influences that argue for GMOs to be prohibited in Europe. Since Europe currently has plenty of food and doesn’t need GMOs it has become a good fund-raising gambit as well as a political power play to condemn GMOs as unsafe and of no value with little consequence for the general public in Europe. However, with gains of the sort documented here it is crucial that GMOs become a major part of all plant breeding exercises in the developing world.

Perhaps, the “so-called green parties” such as Greenpeace should pay more attention to the scholarly literature such as this and avoid the advertising tactics of scaremongering without scientific foundation. In that way they could direct their ample resources to really helping both the citizens in the developing world and the environment.

To learn more about why you should support GMOs and Golden Rice, see http://supportprecisionagriculture.org/

Rich Roberts, Aug 21, 2016.