biotechnology
genetic engineering
rural development
food security
genetically modified crops
grain processing
genome
total protein system
terminator technology
gene technology
Crops that resist disease and pests, demand less pesticide and fertilizer, yet reward farmers with better, larger yields was once the stuff of dreams. But as work on genetically modified crops progresses, the super crops are now becoming reality, alongside the possibility of improving livelihoods, feeding the hungry and helping the environment. Yet history has taught the agricultural sector that such developments are not without a price. All around the world, nations are still counting the ecological cost of the chemicals that enabled farmers to produce bigger and better yields. Critics of genetically modified crops are concerned that this new science is still unproven could cause health and environmental problems, and would hand control of the world's food chain to a small number of transnational corporations.