Genetic engineering (GE) in agriculture is a controversial topic in science and society at large. While some oppose genetically modified crops the question remains whether GE can benefit the poor.
Golden Rice has been genetically engineered to produce provitamin A. The technology is still in the testing phase, but, once released, the authors expect to address one consequence of poverty – vitamin A deficiency (VAD) – and its health implications. Current interventions to combat VAD rely mainly on pharmaceutical supplementation, which is costly in the long run and only partially successful.
In order to evaluate the potential benefits of Golden Rice, the authors built a nationally representative data set of household food consumption in India.
Main findings and conclusions:
- India’s annual burden of VAD of can be reduced by 59.4% if Golden Rice would be consumed widely
- saving one healthy life year through Golden Rice could cost as little as US$3.06 – or about Rs.140, which is less than a week’s earning of a poorly paid rural day labourer
- the cost per ‘healthy life year’ saved through Golden Rice is lower than the cost of current supplementation efforts, and it outperforms international cost-effectiveness thresholds
- given the complex nature of the problem and the complementary characteristics of the different micronutrient interventions, Golden Rice is not a ‘cure-all’ in the fight against VAD
- to realise the potential of Golden Rice pro-active and targeted implementation of R&D and dissemination activities, as well as broad public support, would be needed.
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