Farmers may adopt golden rice even without past knowledge

By Sosimo Ma. Pablico

Rice farmers may lack awareness and knowledge of the vitamin A-loaded golden rice, but this would not stand in their acceptance of this genetically modified rice, results of a study conducted for a doctoral dissertation in Cornell University, USA, showed.

The researcher, Dr. Mark Chong, suggested that the farmers may even adopt the technology before they acquire knowledge and develop an attitude towards golden rice.

Conducted in Nueva Ecija among 30 barangay captains who are also rice farmers, the study found all of them willing to plant golden rice if it is high yielding, is proven safe for human consumption, and has sufficient market demand.  Even the two leaders who were not keen on observing golden rice based their response on the marketability of such a novel product.

In other words, the barangay leaders put economic gains above other criteria in adopting golden rice.

Vitamin A-loaded golden rice is now being developed in the Philippines by PhilRice [Philippine Rice Research Institute] and IRRI [International Rice Research Institute] to combat vitamin A deficiency, which is affecting two out of 10 pregnant and lactating Filipino women and four out of 10 children, six months to five years old. 

About four million Filipino pre-schoolers are at risk of going blind and 4,000 children die from the effects of vitamin A deficiency. 

Vitamin A is a very important micronutrient to humans, which is needed in small amount.  Among adults, micronutrient deficiency, also called hidden hunger, reduces labor productivity.  Likewise, it diminishes the ability of children to learn, as well as increases death rates and disease infection.  Furthermore, it reduces the livelihood and quality of life of affected individuals.

Golden rice was engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency and has been predicted that its contribution to alleviating vitamin A deficiency would be substantially   improved   through   higher beta carotene content.

Results of the study also showed that golden rice must demonstrate yields or cost savings equivalent to (or higher than) those of the best currently grown non-transgenic varieties if it is to be successfully introduced to and adopted by rice farmers. Water efficiency might also be added as a critical trait, as lack of irrigation and water shortage was most frequently cited as the biggest problems facing rice farmers.

The   study also found that the barangay leaders consider the Department of Agriculture and PhilRice as the most trusted sources of information on agriculture.  Earlier studies have shown that people who have social trust in the institutional actors involved in deploying, managing and regulating risky technologies perceive more benefits and fewer risks than people not having social trust in those actors.

Chong said it is significant that not a single barrio leader mentioned anti-biotech nongovernmental organizations, such as Masipag which operates in Nueva Ecija, as a trusted information source. 

This cast doubts on the legitimacy of claims put forth by Masipag and similar groups that they represent the broad interests and concerns of Philippine farmers.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/harvest-time/)

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