TWC Lesson 7

Overview/ Summary of Lesson

Today’s lesson was on the Biobusiness Revolution in the areas of Agribiology, Environmental Life Sciences and Industrial Biotechnology. As Prof mentioned last week, the biobusiness industry has been expanding rapidly and one of the industries which probably has the greatest growth potential would be the Green industry, which focuses on agricultural processes and land usage.
I largely agree with the quote that Prof shared during the start of the lesson:
“When we are able to grow the resources we need, we will finally be on the road to sustainability.”
The reason for our survival today has depended largely on the abundance of resources through the centuries. Given that population is expected to increase exponentially by 2050, sufficient resources are imperative for sustainability. Hence, it is only through growth of resources may we achieve this feat.

Interesting Observations

In discussing sustainability, we need to look at how different factors (social, economic, environmental, technological aspects) in a country interact to make it sustainable. For instance, as discussed in today’s lesson, overcrowding in India’s rural areas has caused a movement of people from rural to urban, which might actually increase sustainability of these people because they will have more access to resources in the urban areas (assuming these areas are less crowded). In the rural areas, farmers are only given 0.2ha to farm their crops which is hardly enough space for a decent harvest or good crops. Many thus move over to the urban areas in search of the “Bright Lights”, somewhat guaranteeing a higher standard of living. No doubt there will be a difficult transition phase where initial migrant are unable to find a job given the low levels of education and skill they have, after about 10-15 years, these migrants will possibly lead better lives. Nevertheless, the big picture that we should see here is that there is always movement towards more sustainable means whether caused by demographic changes or technological improvements. It is ingrained in all human beings the message of survival.

"Civilization as it is known today could not have evolved, nor can it survive, without an adequate food supply" –Norman Borlaug-

I feel that this statement reflects the push of human civilization today towards looking at creative and different ways of food supply. We had a presentation on tower crops today, which are crops grown on the rooftops of buildings using a combination of hydroponics and The idea is refreshing and probably sustainable (given that the restaurant owner is able to provide vegetables for his salads for almost 10 weeks by growing crops in such a small space). Yet this might not be feasible in Singapore given the time constraints that citizens face and the question of whether such a practice is efficient is at large.

Moving on to the discussion on Genetically Modified (GM) crops and whether it is a possible answer to sustainability. Personally, I do not think that the consumption of GM crops is undesirable, it in fact might bring about more benefits to one’s body. According to reading 4, Transgenic varieties and hybrids of cotton, maize, and potatoes, contain genes from Bacillus thuringiensis which effectively controls a number of serious insect pests. There will be less risk of stomach cancer from the use of insecticides, and healthier crops. Scientists are also looking into improving the nutritional quality of our food through transferring genes into food staples. From reading 4: Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) and the International Rice Research Institute (Los Baños, The Philippines) have recently succeeded in transferring genes into rice to increase the quantities of vitamin A, iron, and other micronutrients. This work could eventually have profound impact for millions of people with deficiencies of vitamin A and iron, causes of blindness and anemia, respectively. Could GM crops then be an answer to lack of nutrition and lack of food supply in Less Developed Countries?
I think GM crops are definitely a feasible option in the long run, but there are certain barriers that LDC must remove in order for this to work.
1. The perception that GM crops are contaminated and inedible should be changed.
2. There has to be an accompanying level of education and knowledge that needs to be imbued in the population for the acceptance of such a product.

Issues for discussion
Prof raised an interesting idea in class: Since 70% of food is used as feed for livestock but only 25% of meat is provided would it be more sustainable if the whole world was vegetarian?

Ratings
7.5/10