The politics of Golden Rice

Does China have a public debate on genetically modified organisms? A discourse network analysis of public debate on Weibo

We examine stakeholder participation in the online debate on genetically modified organisms in China and assess how the debate has changed over time. Therefore, we compare messages posted between 2013 and 2020 on the Chinese microblog website Weibo by using discourse network analysis. Our findings reveal strong opposition to genetically modified crops, along with the existence of two competing coalitions of supporters and opponents. We further observe an increasing number of posts supporting genetically modified organisms by the public in recent years. Consequently, there is an indication that the positions of stakeholders have changed over time. We discuss the policy implications for China and draw conclusions for other countries.

Genetically Modified Plants: Nutritious, Sustainable, yet Underrated

Combating malnutrition is one of the greatest global health challenges. Plant-based foods offer an assortment of nutrients that are essential for adequate nutrition and can promote good health. Unfortunately, the majority of widely consumed crops are deficient in some of these nutrients. Biofortification is the umbrella term for the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is enhanced. Traditional agricultural breeding approaches for biofortification are time consuming but can enhance the nutritional value of some foods; however, advances in molecular biology are rapidly being exploited to biofortify various crops. Globally, genetically modified organisms are a controversial topic for consumers and governmental agencies, with a vast majority of people apprehensive about the technology. Golden Rice has been genetically modified to contain elevated β-carotene concentrations and is the bellwether for both the promise and angst of agricultural biotechnology. Although there are numerous other nutritional targets of genetically biofortified crops, here I briefly summarize the work to elevate iron and folate concentrations. In addition, the possibility of using modified foods to affect the gut microbiota is examined. For several decades, plant biotechnology has measured changes in nutrient concentrations; however, the bioavailability of nutrients from many biofortified crops has not been demonstrated.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Study the Performance of Second-generation Genetically Modified Crops in Field Trials: A Case Study With Soybean and Wheat Carrying the Sunflower HaHB4 Transcription Factor

Research, production, and use of genetically modified (GM) crops have split the world between supporters and opponents. Up to now, this technology has been limited to the control of weeds and pests, whereas the second generation of GM crops is expected to assist farmers in abiotic stress tolerance or improved nutritional features. Aiming to analyze this subject holistically, in this presentation we address an advanced technology for drought-tolerant GM crops, upscaling from molecular details obtained in the laboratory to an extensive network of field trials as well as the impact of the introduction of this innovation into the market. Sunflower has divergent transcription factors, which could be key actors in the drought response orchestrating several signal transduction pathways, generating an improved performance to deal with water deficit. One of such factors, HaHB4, belongs to the homeodomain-leucine zipper family and was first introduced in Arabidopsis. Transformed plants had improved tolerance to water deficits, through the inhibition of ethylene sensitivity and not by stomata closure. Wheat and soybean plants expressing the HaHB4 gene were obtained and cropped across a wide range of growing conditions exhibiting enhanced adaptation to drought-prone environments, the most important constraint affecting crop yield worldwide. The performance of wheat and soybean, however, differed slightly across mentioned environments; whereas the improved behavior of GM wheat respect to controls was less dependent on the temperature regime (cool or warm), differences between GM and wild-type soybeans were remarkably larger in warmer compared to cooler conditions. In both species, these GM crops are good candidates to become market products in the near future. In anticipation of consumers' and other stakeholders' interest, spectral analyses of field crops have been conducted to differentiate these GM crops from wild type and commercial cultivars. In this paper, the potential impact of the release of such market products is discussed, considering the perspectives of different stakeholders.

Perceived Risk of Genetically Modified Foods Among Residents in Xi'an, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

This paper applies a structural equation modeling approach to study the formation of consumers’ perceived health risk of genetically modified (GM) foods based on a cross-sectional dataset of 508 consumers in Xi’an, China. The results indicate a high percentage of respondents who believe that GM foods might threaten human health. The estimated structural equation model shows that males, older people, respondents with higher income, those with better educational attainment, and those with family members who need special care have higher perceived risks of GM foods. Effective risk communication is necessary to provide consumers with scientific information about GM foods in order to facilitate their understanding of the actual risks of GM foods.