Reports this week have highlighted the possibility that increased production of Biofuel crops has a negative impact on the world food supplies. Specifically if we focus on the US large areas of agricultural land is being used for the growth of corn for the production of bio-ethanol (in 2010 40% of corn grown in the US was used for bio-ethanol) and even more worrying now is the use of GM crops that have been designed to aid in the production of bio-ethanol and, though not inedible, are not suitable for food manufacture. This all leads to a decrease in the levels of food crops being grown, which coupled with poor yields across the globe lead to inflated prices. This in turn, Aid organisations warn, will lead to worsen a global food crisis and in particular divert more corn away from famine hit countries such as Somalia.
Now I want to focus on the production of GM energy crops; these are crops that essentially have been altered to produce the enzyme amylase, which speeds breakdown of starches in the production of bio-ethanol, an enzyme usually added in the production process. The corn has been designed by Swiss pesticide firm Syngenta and is branded Enogen. Now this raises a few significant issues first as mentioned previous is the diversion of corn from the food market leading to increased costs, effectively pricing out poorer nations. The second is the risk of contamination, which could see Enogen cross pollinating with normal corn which could render food crops unusable.
According to data supplied by Syngenta the North American Millers’ Association say that 1 kernel in 10,000 could damage food products. Essentially if amylase was to be introduced into corn destined for food production, by cross-contaminated plants, then this will lead to starch breakdown reducing the corn chips to useless mush. Syngenta have stated that the appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent cross-contamination; however failure to prevent cross-contamination in previous GM breeds cast doubt on this claim. Even if the risk is low the potential consequence, if cross-contamination was to occur, is very high, which surely raises the question whether GM energy crops should be used at all.
As more and more land is devoted to the production of energy crops this obviously in turn reduces the land that would normally be available for food crops therefore leading to lower yields and increased prices and considering the potential impact GM crops could have on food production globally the big question is whether energy crop production will continue to be feasible.
One should note however the American government is expected to put an end to corn ethanol subsidies, which may have an effect on the price of corn and the eagerness to grow corn for bio-ethanol production. The impact however is thought to be minor as the subsidies where mainly eaten up by major oil companies. You can read more on this at the guardian website.
