The Hindu Business Line : `Use science & technology to bridge rich-poor divide'

"IN a world full of concerns relating to bio-safety, bio-diversity, bio-terrorism and possible biological disaster, we need to find a `pathway to bio-happiness'. So far, science and technology has enlarged the rich-poor divide. The challenge now is to use S&T as an ally in the movement towards economic, social and gender equity," Dr M. S. Swaminathan has said.

The renowned farm scientist was speaking at the 16th National Agricultural Biotechnology Council annual meeting at the University of Guelph here. The theme of the meeting this year is - Agricultural Biotechnology: Finding Common International Goals.

Detailing the essentials of "ever-green revolution and sustainable food security", Dr Swaminathan said an integrated approach to achieving a balance between human numbers and human capacity to produce food of adequate quantity, quality and variety was necessary.

Food security has three major dimensions all of which need an integrated attention, he pointed out. The three components of food security were availability of food, which is a function of production; access to food, which a function of purchasing power and access to sustainable livelihood; and absorption of food in the body, determined by access to safe drinking water and non-food factors such as environmental hygiene, primary healthcare and primary education.

Pointing out that new genetics has opened up uncommon opportunities for enhancing productivity, profitability, sustainability and stability of major cropping systems, he said while the benefits were clear, there were risks in the territory of the unknown and unexplored.

Dr Swaminathan emphasised that sustainable organic agriculture will need more science and not less.

"The first requirement for bio-happiness is nutrition and water security for all and for ever", he asserted.

To a question from Business Line whether agricultural biotechnology was appropriate for India given the severe challenges under which agriculture in the country operated, Dr Swaminathan said technology was scale-neutral but not resource-neutral, and that the technology will have to be suitably adopted to the conditions of any country taking into account socio-economic and agro-ecological milieu.

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