Reinvigorating Genetically Modified Crops

摘要

In August 2002, government officials in the United States were shocked when Zambia, which was on the verge of a major food crisis, began to refuse the import of free U.S. corn as food aid, because some of that corn might be "genetically modified" (GM). This was the same corn that U.S. citizens had been consuming and that the United Nations World Food Programme had been distributing in Africa―including Zambia―since 1996. In short order, three other countries racing possible famine in the region―Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi―also decided to reject U.S. corn as food aid unless the corn was milled to prevent it from being planted. As a reason for their refusals, Zambia and the other countries cited the fear that if any GM corn imported as food aid was planted by farmers instead, they would lose their current status as "GM-free" countries, as designated by importers in the European Union (EU). This loss, the governments worried, would compromise their ability in the fu- ture to export crops and foods to countries in the EU, where GM products are unpopular and more tightly regulated.