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Rice with Improved Nutritional Capacity
 One
issue that is not specific to farmers, per se, but is critical to
rice consumers in the unfavorable environments -- and to all consumers
of rice in developing nations to a certain extent -- is the nutritional
quality of rice. While rice is an important source of calories in
the diets of many Asians, it lacks many of the vitamins and minerals
needed to grow and sustain healthy bodies. To address this issue,
several technologies are being pursued to increase the nutritional
capacity of rice. For example, “Golden rice”, the most
widely reported application of nutritionally enhanced rice, has
been genetically modified to contain increased levels of provitamin
A (the compound the body needs to synthesize vitamin A). Vitamin
A deficiency is a widespread problem, affecting children in particular,
leading to blindness and a host of developmental ailments. In addition
to increasing levels of provitamin A, iron and zinc have been incorporated
into rice breeding lines through a combination of conventional and
transgenic methods to improve nutritional quality. While boosting
the nutritional quality of rice cannot take the place of a diverse,
nutritionally balanced diet, it may stem the tide of malnutrition,
especially
among children, that is pervasive in certain regions of Asia.
To date, none of the new rice varieties enhanced by the biotechnologies
mentioned here are available to Asian farmers to plant, nor to consumers
to eat them. As the science underlying these technologies progresses,
and as Asian countries develop and implement bio-safety regulatory
frameworks, we should see these new products becoming available
in Asia.
Want to learn about the
economic impacts of rice biotechnologies in Asia? Click here or
on the Reports link to the left...
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