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Page added on July 5, 2011
Is Super Wheat a Solution to Global Food Shortage?
We’ve been honest before on TGB that we are torn on the concept of GMO crops or even significantly cross-bred crops and evil. We wish the conversation were unnecessary, but to a certain degree the ship has sailed and it may be too late to get rid of them entirely. Additionally, the increasing world population and the global food shortage, which his already leading to violence and bloodshed, may mean we need to bit the bullet. A new variety of Super Wheat may be that very bullet.
The “Super Wheat” is designed to be resistant to Ug99, a stem rust fungus that is deadly, and is set to replace wheat in areas affected by the fungus as early as two years from now – if (and this is a big if) farmers can be convinced to farm the new strain.
Ug99 was first discovered in Uganda almost thirteen years ago and quickly (very quickly) spread throughout eastern and southern Africa. Some spores have been identified as far away as Yeman and Iran. Also known as “black rust,” stem rush is reported to be even more damaging than stripe or yellow rust, which has killed off about forty percent of harvests in Central Asia, the Middle East and northern Africa.
The new super wheat varieties were developed by breeding expert Ravi Singh and scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico. The super wheats are resistant to both types of rust and were developed by combining several plant resistance genes that individually would give only low levels of resistance but when combined together in the same plant make it incredibly difficult for Ug99 to fight against their combined defenses. (That is, until Ug99 gets smarter…)
The two most urgent locations for implementing the rust-resistant wheat are Yemen and Ethiopia. However, efforts are centered on Ethiopia. Yemen’s political unrest has reportedly impeded anti-rust wheat efforts and the first materials sent to the country by CIMMYT seemingly went into the ether in customs.
4 Comments on "Is Super Wheat a Solution to Global Food Shortage?"
Makati1 on Wed, 6th Jul 2011 3:23 am
GMO crops are only a guarantee of failure down the road. Any time you cannot take the seed from one crop and plant it for the next, you are playing with dynamite.
But, of course corporations like ADM, Cargill, Monsanto, etc want you to believe that they are the savior of the world…just buy their products and become slaves to their industry.
I’ll stick with herloom seeds and take my chances with life.
Anvil on Wed, 6th Jul 2011 9:11 am
Is your BS a solution to shortages of fossil fuels no it not.
This article is a mini green house effect in its self.
Lisa on Wed, 6th Jul 2011 9:15 am
Is there really a food shortage? Last time I checked, obesity (and consequently diabetes) is one of the most common problems in the Industrialized world.
As usual, it’s a problem with distribution of wealth and resources. Landgrabbing and foreign interests in e.g. Africa leaves the population malnourished while crops (and water!) are in the hands of the rich elite/nations.
And with regards to GMOs; they are no more the solution to hunger and malnutrition in the poor part of the world than they are the solution to hunger and malnutrition in the United States (where an astonishing 1/6th of population depends on food stamps). When 25% of the corn crop in the US is used for ethanol; who’s going to get the corn?
I strongly recommend: “The New Food Wars: Globalization, GMOs and Biofuels”, Vandana Shiva, http://tv.globalresearch.ca/2011/07/new-food-wars-globalization-gmos-and-biofuels (about an hour long).
Kenz300 on Wed, 6th Jul 2011 5:00 pm
We had food shortages when the world had a population of 1 billion, then 2 billion then 3 billion people. Is the real problem that the world population continues to grow? The world added a billion people in the last 12 years and will add another billion in the next 12 years. Food production has improved but a billion people are still going to bed hungry each day. What is a sustainable level of world population that matches food production, water resources, energy production and jobs?