In this blog post, we will examine the reasons why GMOs cannot fundamentally solve the problems of hunger and war.
The Logic Advocated by Nowak and Bush
One author argued that increasing food production through GMOs could reduce war and hunger, and a former U.S. president also supported the widespread adoption of GMOs to solve hunger problems in Africa and other regions and to mitigate conflict. There are two factors underlying these claims. One is that the multinational corporations associated with key GMO technologies are mostly based in the United States, and the other is the expectation that a greater food supply could reduce hunger in poor countries, thereby curbing the recruitment of combatants.
However, this second argument is difficult to accept at face value. We will examine the reasons for this in detail in the following sections.
GMOs and Actual Yield Increases
There is no clear evidence that the introduction of GMOs has directly led to a noticeable increase in production. Some reports and analyses point out that there is no significant difference in grain yields between North America, where GMOs are widely permitted, and Western Europe, where they are not. Even when comparing corn or rapeseed yields on a 20-year basis, no major differences are observed in some cases, and for certain crops, yields have actually increased more rapidly in Western Europe.
While companies have argued that media reports selectively cherry-pick data, there have been instances where no definitive public data was presented to support their rebuttals. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that GMOs automatically lead to a dramatic increase in production.
The Cause of Hunger Is Not Shortage
It is difficult to view the problem of hunger simply as a “food shortage.” The volume of grain produced worldwide is so vast that, theoretically, it is sufficient to feed a large number of people. Furthermore, over the past few decades, food production has grown faster than the population, and historically, global food supplies have rarely been completely depleted.
In reality, the primary causes of hunger are the unequal distribution of food and the low income levels of people in developing countries. In other words, the core issue is not a complete lack of food, but rather a structural problem where food is not delivered to those who need it at an appropriate price and in a suitable form.
Economic and Ethical Limitations
Cultivating GMO seeds involves high initial costs (seed purchase costs, herbicide costs, etc.). It is difficult for poor farmers to bear these costs, and this can exacerbate a structure where they become dependent on corporations in the long term. While some organizations have claimed that farmers have gone bankrupt due to these high costs, this issue must be examined within a complex economic context rather than through a simple cause-and-effect analysis.
There is also controversy regarding safety. While proponents of GMOs argue that people have been consuming them for decades without any significant adverse effects, there is strong counter-argument that the long-term effects on human health have not yet been fully established. Critics point out that there is a lack of definitive evidence proving long-term safety, particularly from animal studies.
There are also significant concerns regarding the herbicides used in conjunction with GMO crops. Some reports highlight that certain herbicides have been classified by international agencies as potentially carcinogenic, raising concerns about cumulative effects from long-term exposure at low concentrations. These risks make it difficult to prove causality and further complicate ethical considerations.
Corporate Influence and Politics
Critics argue that corporate interests are intertwined with policy proposals regarding the dissemination of GMOs. Claims have been raised that multinational seed companies have exerted influence to shape policies in their favor, and that corporate executives have infiltrated government agencies to pressure researchers and regulators. This context raises questions about whether the spread of GMOs is a genuine measure for the public good in developing countries or a strategy for corporate commercial expansion.
In fact, many African countries have rejected food aid containing genetically modified crops, citing safety concerns and the need to maintain sovereignty.
Will Food Abundance Reduce War?
The argument that an abundance of food will reduce war is intuitive but underestimates the reality of conflict structures. Many conflicts stem from complex causes, such as ethnicity, religion, historical mistrust, and borders artificially drawn during the colonial era. In Africa, administrative boundaries drawn by colonial powers without due consideration remain a source of conflict to this day.
Of course, if fewer people enlist in the military due to hunger, the combat workforce may temporarily decrease. However, solving the problem of hunger does not immediately eliminate the root causes of conflict (such as identity issues, political grievances, and distribution problems). In fact, when war breaks out, food systems often collapse and famine worsens, so the causal relationship is often reversed.
Conclusion: The Direction of Solutions
The argument that GMOs alone can solve hunger and war is unconvincing in many respects. Based on observations to date, GMOs have not always led to noticeable increases in production, and farmers in developing countries often struggle to benefit from them due to costs and institutional constraints. Uncertainties regarding safety and long-term effects, as well as the corporate-centric interests that often accompany them, further complicate the issue.
Therefore, rather than relying solely on the dissemination of technologies that simply increase food production, developed countries and international organizations must focus more on analyzing and addressing the root causes of hunger and war, such as improving distribution structures, guaranteeing farmers’ incomes, and finding political and social solutions to local conflicts. It must be clearly recognized that while GMOs can serve as a complementary measure, they alone cannot fundamentally eliminate hunger and war.
