Hunger and Equity in an Era of Genetic Engineering

Abstract

I. The Equity Crisis in Food Production and Distribution ...................................... 199 A. What Is Food Security? .............................................................................. 199 B. Will More Food Help? ............................................................................... 204 C. What the Past Teaches Us ......................................................................... 207 D. What Does Climate Change Do to Food Production? ..................... 209 II. Enter Genetically Engineered Crops ...................................................................... 212 A. What Are Genetically Modified Organisms? ........................................ 217 B. Can Genetically Engineered Crops Solve Food Insecurity? ............. 221 1. Do Genetically Engineered Crops Actually Increase Food Production? ........................................................................................ 222 2. Can Genetically Engineered Crops Save Us from Climate Change? ............................................................................................... 225 C. What Are the Equity Ramifications of Genetically Engineered Crops? ......................................................................................................... 228 III. Some Additional Costs of Genetically Engineered Crops ................................ 233 A. Costs Due to Control over Production ................................................. 234 B. Costs Due to Control over Knowledge ................................................. 237 1. Direct Control over Research .......................................................... 238 2. Indirect Control over Research ....................................................... 240 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 243