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January – March 2005 BIO LIFE
27
logy and food security
schooling ranges from two to 20 years, with
many of the poor having at most four years
of primary education. “In short, conditions
are so variable,” says Halos. “It is folly to
provide a single solution to problems of
low productivity which, in general, characterize
Philippine agriculture.
Hence, we believe that biotechnology
is only one of the technological means to
increase incomes.”
She cites as an example the organic
produce market, where products are
priced about twice as much as the nonorganic
ones. “Depending upon market
conditions, income increases can be
achieved by targeting a niche market,” she
continues. “This market is limited to
the higher-income bracket (5 percent
of the Philippine population) and
accessible to farmers mainly around
urban centers.”
Organic farming incurs higher
production cost and lower yields due
to insect pests and diseases, which
today are not reliably controlled by
organic means. Halos likewise
underscores that there is lower
efficiency in organic farming owing to
these factors. “Besides, tropical
conditions breed so many insect
pests and diseases,” she says.
Another means to increase incomes is
to increase yields per unit area. A dramatic
example is the use of hybrid corn compared
with traditional varieties introduced
by the Spaniards centuries ago. Hybrid
corn yields range from 3-9 tons/ha
whereas traditional corn varieties yield 0.3-
2 tons/ha.
On the other hand, income increases
can be achieved by preventing losses
mainly from pests and diseases. These
losses range from 35-100 percent. In corn,
reports on yield losses due to the insect
Asiatic corn borer range from 5-95 percent.
Currently, farmers control this insect
with a chemical pesticide applied by hand
into individual plants. This chemical can
cause nausea and vomiting among the
applicators, death to farm animals, and
can kill any insect species that encounters
it. Moreover, for the chemical to be
effective, it must be applied at a particular
time within a short period during corn
growth.
“Farmers are therefore looking for a
better solution to the borer problem,”
continues Halos. Multi-location trials
conducted with the genetically modified Bt
corn have conclusively shown that the
borer cannot thrive on Bt corn and yield
gains averaged 40 percent. Bt corn is
genetically modified to include a toxinproducing
gene from a soil bacterium,
Bacillus thuringiensis, which poisons
insects feeding on the plant. “For this
reason, planting Bt corn has become
attractive to many farmers who don’t mind
paying for the seeds because they beleive
that their increase in yields will compensate
for the additional seed cost,” says
The increasing hectarage
of GM crops (from 1.6 million
in 1996 to some 50 million
the past few years) implies
that an increasing number of
farmers see more benefits
from planting these crops.
Halos. “If provided credit, they will buy
good seeds and, once they enjoy the
benefits of assured higher yields, they
would rather buy good seeds and reject
seeds of dubious quality even if provided
free.”
The increasing hectarage of GM crops
(from 1.6 million in 1996 to some 50 million
the past few years) implies that an
increasing number of farmers see more
benefits from planting these crops.
Reports from South Africa and China show
that small farmers benefit more from the
technology than corporate farmers.
“I agree that biotechnology research in
developing countries should focus on
solving technical problems of each
country’s agriculture,” says Halos.
“In addition, research should also
address biosafety issues including setting
up the necessary infrastructure to comply
with biosafety regulations. That is, when a
country decides to invest in biotechnology
research it should also establish biosafety
regulations. In this manner, issues raised
against biotechnology are scientifically
addressed. Although this raises the cost of
the technology, it does provide assurance
to the public that proper measures are
adopted to ensure that biotech products
are safe.”
According to Halos, the Philippines has
adopted biosafety regulations covering
biotechnology research since 1991 and
has recently established regulations
covering the import, commercialization and
release into the environment of biotech
plant and plant products. These regulations
define the biosafety research agenda
in developing a biotech crop.
Halos also cites research on
edible vaccines for humans as well as
animals. “The development of edible
vaccines is undertaken primarily by
researchers in industrialized countries,
supposedly for developing
countries,” she explains. “To hasten
this development, it is about time that
we in the developing world actively
participate in developing the effective
edible vaccine for our own country
needs.”
Dependence on agricultural
products makes Asian needs unique
to the region when compared to the
more developed countries in the western
hemisphere.
China is keen about adapting the use
of Bt crops just as India is moving towards
its utilization and other Asian countries are
carefully watching and looking forward to
its use.
The continuing research and development
of agricultural biotechnology is in
preparation for the challenge of food
security in the future.
(Dr. Saturnina Halos provides advice to the
Philippine Department of Agriculture on biotechnology
for agricultural development. She
was trained as a plant breeder and geneticist
and has been doing research in biotechnology
for years. Using public funds, Dr.
Halos and her husband have invented and
are developing the market for a microbial
preparation—a seed inoculant—that improves
plant growth and yield and reduces
fertilizer requirements. She’s also doing research
using DNA analysis.)