WB Looks to Science to Fight Food Insecurity

By Farah Khan

One of the most serious development anomalies in the world is that while we produce more than enough food, billions still go hungry. Often, this is because agricultural science is lacking in the poorest regions where climate change as well as fragile lands take their toll.

The World Bank yesterday launched its "global consultative process" on agricultural science to combat this gap. It will be chaired by World Bank chief scientist Robert Watson and will conduct its work in all key regions.

The process is meant to counter declining public research. "Today the rate of growth in public investment is declining; and while private sector investments are increasing, the research they support focuses primarily on commodities produced for OECD markets," says the bank.

It adds, "We must begin now to generate the type and quality of information needed to put agricultural science and technology back on the public agenda."

The investigation will probe the causes of hunger, develop technology to combat food insecurity, decide on research priorities and consider public-private partnerships to pay the research and development costs. The thorny issue of biotechnology and GM crops will also be examined.

The World Bank expects to complete its work by June 2003.