Saturday, November 12, 2011
The Poor Man's Meat
In a recent article published by Trust.org's Alertnet, the genome for the Pigeon-pea, or "the poor man's meat" as it is more commonly known, has just been cracked. This is a significant accomplishment for the global fight against world hunger for several reasons. Firstly, with the genetic code now cracked, scientists will be able to genetically altar the genome. This will allow them to create drought and disease resistant hybrids that will be better able to supply the people in developing worlds. If scientists succeed it will bean a step towards supplying starving people of the world with the proper protein needed for growth, healthy development, and stronger immune systems to help these people ward off the waves after waves of disease that people in the developing worlds often encounter. It is important that these kind of leaps forward in nutritional science development are made so that scientists can help better equipped various fruits and vegetables that are able to withstand the extreme, often arid and dry climates or overly flooded climates that people in developing countries often live in. These developments are saving lives, and it is important that we help enable the continual forward progress. The article can be found at http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/cracking-the-pigeonpea-genetic-code-to-help-poor-farmers/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As a developed country with the resources available to do such research, we have a sort of responsibility. By doing such research as deciphering the genome and then splicing DNA to make the pea an even more viable source of nutrition. The more well-fed these people are, the more likely their bodies are able to fend off bacteria and viruses. This is a big step, because now less people will die from communicable diseases. Their bodies can fight off infection, not having to worry about which parts of the body to allocate the little energy it has to.
ReplyDeleteThis is a significant accomplishment for the people who are suffering from the hunger. As we know, that hunger kills more people than any other infectious diseases. By solving a problem with the hunger, we can also prevent people from getting many infectious diseases and infant mortality rate will also decrease. It is clear that solving a problem with hunger will improve people's health in many developing countries.
ReplyDeleteThis is without a doubt a good breakthrough, as the main part of this is the prospect of increased yields. By having more food be produced inside of developing countries, they don't have to rely on importing, and can be weaned off support. On top of that, the food will be more nutritious, helping the general health of the population. However, this process is slow, and the article points out it can still take roughly three years to successfully create a new, superior variety (as opposed to 10 years before this discovery).
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly positive news and should likewise entail positive repercussions in those countries that need aid the most (or at least those in which Pigeon-pea is eaten). You have listed the various benefits in your blog and those are virtually irrefutable. Likely, then, the biggest issue is the great amount of time needed to bring about those positive changes. What can be done about this? Add more time, money and attention to this cause. Whether or not that is possible is a separate matter.
ReplyDeleteit should be more than 250 words.
ReplyDelete