GM Crops- Tackling Food Insecurity amidst Climate Changes in India: Leveraging Biotechnology for a Food-Secure Future

Food security has always been a great concern for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite the immense economic growth and being an even higher priority for India, the issue of nationwide hunger prevails. Additionally, this issue is further aggravated by extreme weather conditions that have been noticed on the subcontinent, courtesy of climate change.

Illustration by The Geostrata

The impact of drastic climatic changes on food security is far more complex than it seems. Though climatic conditions are not entirely responsible for this state of mass undernourishment, many other factors have also played their part, such as overpopulation, rapid urbanisation, income inequality, and underproduction. 

All these social predicaments are not something that can be tackled directly and effectively, but underproduction, pertaining to climate change, can be dealt with using a rather fundamental solution: intensive implementation of genetically modified crops. Not only will this assist with crops’ climate resilience, but it will also increase cost efficiency.

THE CHALLENGE IN FEEDING BILLIONS

The development of the Indian agricultural sector has been relatively stagnant. Given their lack of resistance to climatic change, it has affected it in many ways. Apart from crops, the impact is prominent on livestock, fisheries, and even in allied sectors, which could affect employment in all the concerned sectors. The issue of under-yielding is a direct result of water scarcity, which can be correlated with climate change, as the majority of a country's population is dependent on groundwater supply.

Even the disrupted monsoon cycle has become critical to the yields of staple food crops such as rice and wheat in the Indian context.

“The problem is that this average conceals huge fluctuations across space and time. East of Delhi— especially in the grain-producing breadbaskets of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal— it’s been unusually dry, while western states, where pulses, oilseeds, and vegetable crops predominate, have been soaked. Making matters worse, the clockwork operation of the monsoon has been disrupted, with dry early weeks giving way to unusually wet conditions more recently.” — The Economic Times.

The aforementioned randomisation of the monsoon cycle creates more volatile instances of droughts and flooding, posing a major challenge for the farmers. This volatility becomes highly detrimental to Indian agriculture as it is primarily dependent on rainwater followed by groundwater, both of which are being compromised. Ironically, throughout the world’s history, India has only contributed 3.7% to global carbon emissions. Despite such less influence, Indian traditional crops are bearing the brunt of climatic extreme conditions, which lack survivability in such adverse and random conditions, unlike their genetically modified counterparts.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS- BOON OR BANE?

The evolution of Genetically Modified crops has revolutionised Indian agriculture, especially by contributing to drought and flood tolerance and pest control. The GM seeds of staples like maize and rice remain indifferent to climate change and are capable of harvesting the same output even in monsoons.

Bt cotton is the epitome of GM crops, introduced in 2002 in response to bollworm pests. It covers 91.37% of the cotton land of India, possessing an unprecedented resistance to pests. Moreover, the former has also resulted in increased yield and minimised the dependence on chemical and synthetic pesticides, which pose a threat to health. Such an exhibition of potential advantages makes GM crops vital to ensuring food security despite climate change.

Besides these benefits, the adoption of GM crops has always been a concern in the public domain and has led to some controversies. The perception of GM crops has not been uniform in India. It has often been surrounded by misconceptions. Even after providing a pool of scientific evidence that proves GM crops to be a safer option, questions regarding long-term health implications, like allergy or immunity issues, have been raised. 

The ecological effects, such as biodiversity loss and transmission of modified genes into organic crops, are some of the major risks associated with GM crops. Additionally, an increasing concern is the hegemony of industries and seed licenses, which will interrupt the freedom of farmers. To gain farmers’ trust and change the public's outlook towards accepting GM crops, calls for confronting these misconceptions through open communication and awareness programs are needed.

Research and innovation play a crucial role in the development of GM seeds in response to changing climatic conditions. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology helps to alter the existing traits of seeds, making them more pest-resistant and resistant to adverse weather conditions. The public and private research institutions, in partnerships, are now innovating GM seeds by customising them as per Indian agriculture. This collaboration widens the scope of GM crops to ensure an economically viable and environmentally friendly solution.

SCOPE OF RESEARCH

The GM crops need to be researched, as they exhibit benefits that add to the nutritional value of the harvest while also yielding favourable outcomes for the farmers. It directly contributes to enhancing the quality and quantity of the output, which in turn gives a significant boost to farmers’ income. Not only does it raise farmers’ financial position, but it also opens an array of new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices by cutting down on the expenditure on chemical fertilisers and insecticides.

The gene-transfer technology of GM crops has made it possible to grow more than two food crops in one year. With consistent technological innovations, it has expanded the export market for Indian products by enabling surplus production. The long-term economic implications of GM outweigh the costs of investment and regulation, indicating their strategic importance to India’s agricultural development, as shown by a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis by economic experts.

It must be ensured that there is an equitable distribution of gains from GM crops. It is essential for promoting sustainability in agriculture. 

Smallholder farmers' rights should be protected to facilitate their access to GM seed supplies and support farming them. Training programs and capacity-building initiatives are crucial for empowering farmers to effectively utilise GM crops so that agricultural sustainability and economic stability can be promoted, creating a more resilient and inclusive agriculture system. 

India has a lot to learn from countries such as Brazil, the US, Argentina, etc., where it has been estimated that 95% of the soybeans produced are genetically modified organisms [GMOs], leading to increased agricultural production, a significant boost to exports, and resistance to factors accompanied by climate change. Indian policy making should be highly influenced by the introduction of GM crops' extensive utility in the aforementioned countries to achieve economic development and resistance in the primary sector.

The regulatory framework also has a vital role to play in formulating the standard norms to integrate GM crops into the Indian farming system, to a certain extent. Additionally, reformative government policies backed up by international exchanges, whose guiding presence is fundamental to enriching biotechnology and GM agricultural capacity building, have long needed to advocate for the existing food crisis in India.  

In India, addressing food security is essential due to hunger and climate change, which makes agricultural problems worse. These crops offer resilience and higher yields, as well as being cost-effective. This demonstrates that people should be educated and aware of these issues by fostering open research programs to address public acceptance issues. The two most vital concerns are equitable benefits distribution and empowerment of farmers themselves. By tracing examples around the world, learning from them and having proper regulatory frameworks, India can integrate GM crops into sustainable agriculture to combat food insecurity.

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BY ATUL THAPAK & ALAKSHENDRA

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