Are GE crops and industrial style-agriculture the only alternatives available to the developing world?
No, but much more political will and investment of resources is needed to develop and promote these other methods as aggressively as GE has been promoted. The recent International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD)—supported by the World Bank, several United Nations (UN) agencies and numerous governments, and several hundred scientists and others—suggested that GE should play a secondary role to other investments deemed more productive. The IAASTD specifically cited farming methods based on agro-ecology (such as organic), as well as infrastructure improvements such as the building of new roads for market access. Another UN study summarized 114 organic and low-input agriculture projects underway for several years across Africa, which showed average yield increases of 116 percent, along with increased income and other benefits. A recent peer-reviewed summary of world-wide organic production found that organic and near-organic methods in
