Monsanto, DuPont, ADM Launch Global Harvest Initiative

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Friday, 28 August 2009 18:24

August 2009 – Last week, agrichemical and biotech giants Monsanto Company, DuPont, and Archer Daniels Midland Company launched the Global Harvest Initiative, a marketing campaign to spur the development of biotechnology in the global agriculture industry. The companies believe the increasing gap between the world's agricultural production capacity and what will be required to feed the projected Earth population of nine billion by 2050 can be best met with biotechnology and genetically engineered foods. The companies said they are spending over $9 million a day in research and development to reach their goal. "The Global Harvest Initiative is mobilizing a diverse group of thought-leaders to focus on the challenge of doubling agricultural output, and doing so in a sustainable manner," said William Lesher, executive director of the Global Harvest Initiative. Global conservation groups The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International are part of the dialogue. The new campaign officially kicks off September 22 in Washington, D.C. with a symposium for leaders in production agriculture, sustainability, conservation, hunger remediation and global policies, including keynote addresses planned by U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, WWF’s Jason Clay, and Glenn Prickett of Conservation International. Participants will also discuss the link between agriculture and national security. "The world faces a daunting challenge but, together, we can meet the growing demand in a sustainable way that transcends agriculture and promotes political stability in many parts of the world," said Lesher. "Successfully closing the gap will require a concerted effort to facilitate and expand agricultural innovations worldwide and across producers of all sizes. It will also require substantial investment by both public and private entities along with policy reform and new development initiatives." SOURCE: Sustainable Food News < Prev   Next >