Zusammenfassung der Ressource
How Effective is Golden Rice in Solving
the Problem of Vitamin A Deficiency in
Less Economically Developed
Countries (LEDC)?
- Benifits
- Social
- GM (genetically modified)
golden rice will decrease the
amount of people with
vitamin A deficiency
- Vitamin A deficiency is
the lack of vitamin A in
humans
- It is most common in poorer
places, such as Africa and
indonesia
- Lack of vitamin A
is one of the leading causes of
blindness's that can be prevented.
- An estimated 500,000 children
and blind due to vitamin A
deficiency world wide
- Lack of vitamin A causes reduced
response in the
immune system
- Vitamin A is found in food such
as carrots, sweet patatos and
tuna fish
- Golden rice can do this as it
has an increased amount of
Beta Carotene, a precursor
of vitamin A
- Beta Carotene is a pigment that
gives vitamin A rich food their
orange colour
- Golden rice is enriched
with Vitamin A
- In the philippines alone, Vitamin A deficiency
causes 9,000 cases of blindness and 950 deaths
per year.
- Pesticides also effect human health.
This would be because, if a person is
to eat a plant that has been sprayed
with pesticide, they could
experience major impacts on their
health due to the
- Environmental
- Golden rice reduces the
use of pesticides on this
crop
- This, therefore, will benefit the
environment as using
pesticides may inflict injury of
other wildlife, such as plants
and animals.
- Pesticides also effect human
health. This would be because, if a
person is to eat a plant that
has been sprayed with
pesticide, they could
experience major impacts on
their health due to the
chemicals used in pesticides.
- Pesticides harmful chemical's
could cause, birth defects, affect
the nervous system, or even
cause cancer. While other
pesticides are endocrine
disruptors and affect the body's
hormones and endocrine system,
or it could just irritate the skin
and eyes.
- Economic
- In the Philippines alone, studies, using
information from the World Bank index, have
show that almost 137 million US dollars is lost
due to ill health and premature deaths caused
by vitamin A deficiency.
- Cultural
- Studies, that have been conducted
by University of California and
Rutgers University, have shown that
golden rice has now been know to
encourage healthier farms.
- This has been proven when biologist
where sent to look at Chinese farmers
who have been growing the golden
rice crop since 2000.
- The farms environmental
impact from the golden rice
was positive as the studies
observed higher crop yields
and reduced pesticide use.
- Golden rice reduces the
use of pesticides on this
crop
- Limitations
- Environmental
- Many people speculate
that the Golden Rice
crop will possibility
becoming a weed
- Multiple people also
speculate that this genetically
modified crop will possibility
transfer unwanted genes
closely related wild crops.
- This could cause a
major drop in original
versions of these
speices.
- Ethical
- There are multiple people who believe
that golden rice is not
something that nature
intended and thus it may have
adverse effects on those who consume
this crop.
- Social
- Although golden rice is
intended to be accsessible to
increased amounts of poorer
people, golden rice, as well as
genetically modified foods in
general, have been found to
cause allergic reactions to
multiple people.
- This limitation could cause major
health risks, varying on the
person with the allergy. The
reaction could display itself in the
form of a mild rash or watery
eyes, to the inability to breath.
- Not only is this unsafe, this new
discovery of GM golden rice has
raised even more concerns about
if this crop can be consumed
- Ethical
- Reaserch shows that the
first developed golden
rice strand did not
contain enough vitamin
A, therefor would be
inaffective
- A later strand of golden rice
was created that scientist
claimed contained more
beta-carotene.
- Critics still express some concern that this
will still not contain enough vitamin A to be
affective for the problem it is trying to
solve
- Multiple people suggest that the
best way to address the issue of
malnutrition and vitamin A
deficiency is to encourage people to
plant a variety of fruits and
vegetables in their backyard and
maintain a balanced diet instead of
encouraging those people to rely on
a food, golden rice.
- Ethical
- People also suggest that ultimately
this food will never contain the
nutrients to be defined as a healthy
diet.
- Political
- As many people express concerns
that GM rice is not safe,
governments have taken it upon
themselves to send scientist to
further test.
- Although further testing is continuing to help
people feel more comfortable with the idea of
GM rice, this is then causing a rise in price for
golden rice, higher than people under the
poverty line can afford.
- If prices raise higher for this
crop, the whole intention to
create a source of vitamin A for
people experiencing poverty is
lost.
- Economic
- As many people express concerns
that GM rice is not safe, governments
have taken it upon themselves to
send scientist to further test.