Agricultural Biotechnology, Poverty Reduction, and Food Security

Abstract

Although the absolute numbers of people living in poverty in Asia today are unacceptable, the situation could be much worse. In 1970, 60 percent of all Asians lived in poverty. That figure has been cut by almost half, with about one third of all Asians living in poverty in 2000. Also, countries such as Bangladesh, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and India have moved from periodic famines to almost self-sufficiency in food production. However, further efforts are needed to reduce poverty by another 50 percent by 2015, as targeted by world leaders during the World Food Summit in 1997. The latter half of the twentieth century saw impressive advances in science and technology. We now have the capacity to apply this knowledge to reduce poverty and improve food security. This Working Paper discusses how biotechnology can be used to safely and effectively reduce poverty and improve food security in Asia.