GMO coupled with organic farms best for environment

By Nao Nakanishi

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Genetic engineering, combined with organic farming, may be the best way to grow food for a rising population as the world confronts climate change and environmental degradation, a U.S. rice scientist said.

Pamela Ronald, professor at the University of California at Davis, told Reuters on Thursday that the world needed to use every technology available to secure food supplies for the 9.2 billion people expected by 2050, up from 6.7 billion at present.

While genetic engineering can offer new varieties, such as pest-resistant corn, organic farming can help to achieve higher yields without damaging the environment, as it does not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, Ronald said via telephone.

"Genetic engineering is a way to make seeds ... Farmers rely on seeds for good yields, but seeds cannot solve everything," she said. "You need some way to add fertilizer and control the pests. That's where organic farming has a lot to contribute."

Ronald, a plant pathologist, has helped to develop genetically modified (GMO) disease-resistant Xa21 rice, one of the top candidates Beijing has been considering to approve as the world's first GMO rice to be grown on a large scale.

The scientist is also behind a flood-tolerant rice currently being tested in Bangladesh.

In her book "Tomorrow's Table", recently written with her husband, organic farmer Raoul Adamchak, she describes how the combination of GMO and organic farming could help farmers to achieve higher yields through better seeds, crop rotation and better after-harvest management without resorting to expensive and environmentally hazardous chemicals.

GMO RICE