Our world is faced with an immense challenge: As the global population grows, we must develop new solutions to agricultural problems, such as pests and drought, without harming the environment, to meet the world’s increased demand for food. Nowhere is this more apparent than in developing countries, where smallholder farmers, who grow food on five hectares or less, face some of the most difficult agricultural challenges as they strive to grow food.
Here in St. Louis, Monsanto has continued to develop plant biotechnology tools to improve yields and help provide ample food for a burgeoning population.
These tools, shared throughout the world through several partnerships, are linking the St. Louis region with scientists and farmers across the globe. The new technologies we develop together are showing promise in reducing losses and improving productivity and nutritional value of subsistence crops.
However, to benefit developing country farmers, new technology must be adapted to the crop varieties, pests, food preferences and agricultural practices of each region. This can be a monumental task, requiring cutting-edge science and global cooperation in order to make a meaningful contribution. Consequently, scientists at Monsanto are working with scientists in developing countries to develop new technologies and enhanced crops appropriate to the needs of specific areas. In 2000, Monsanto reaffirmed its commitment to sharing the benefits of innovative agricultural technology with developing world farmers in the New Monsanto Pledge.
For example, in Kenya, a sweet potato viral disease can destroy up to 80 percent of the crop annually. Training and support from international researchers and Monsanto have enabled local scientists to develop and field test sweet potatoes that resist this devastating disease – an advance that could significantly enhance the amount of food grown in Africa. Field evaluations of virus-resistant sweet potato plants have begun in Kenya, following research and development that began in St. Louis more than a decade ago.
In Southeast Asia, the Papaya Ringspot Virus causes a disease that drastically reduces yields in papaya. Building on technology and training provided by Monsanto, a consortium of national institutes is now developing papaya varieties resistant to the virus. The virus-resistant papaya, which will be grown and marketed primarily by smallholder farmers, will enhance the economics of farming and the availability of food in the region.
In India, millions of children suffer from diets deficient in Vitamin A. To help address this health concern, Monsanto is helping to develop “golden” mustard that will yield cooking oil that is high in beta-carotene, which is a precursor to Vitamin A. Food prepared with the new mustard oil will assist in providing children with sufficient quantities of beta-carotene to live healthier lives. Research estimates that more than 18 percent of the children in India suffer some level of Vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to vision impairment, inability to absorb proteins and nutrients, and reduced immune function.
Genomics is another area where Monsanto’s continued innovations are being applied from St. Louis to areas around the world. In 2000, Monsanto announced a breakthrough in decoding the genetic make-up of rice, as well as a commitment to share its draft data with the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP), a global consortium of research institutes working to publish the rice genome sequence. In the two years since Monsanto made its rice genome data available to the global research community, the timetable for completing the rice genome has accelerated by six years.
In April 2001, Monsanto supported the launch of a Microbial Sequence Database to produce important gene sequence information for Aspergillus nidulans (a common bread mold) and Myxococcus xanthus (a soil-born bacteria) available to academic researchers. The company shared this information in order to accelerate researchers’ efforts to identify and study certain genes, and to provide a road map for understanding plants and microbes to improve nutrition and health in the future.
Last year, Monsanto donated a single Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) genetic marker to the United Soybean Board’s (USB) Technology Utilization Center to build upon the group’s ongoing work on the Better Bean Initiative program. The program was created to encourage the development and availability of soybean seed with enhanced composition traits. The SSR marker, which identifies the low palmitic fatty acid within the soybean genome, is expected to accelerate the development of a high yielding soybean variety that produces soybeans significantly lower in saturated fat.
Monsanto also announced that it would provide the USB with a series of bacterial artificial chromosome sequences that will enable scientists to better understand the soybean genome by identifying the location of specific genetic markers on chromosomes within a genome.
These are just a few examples of how Monsanto’s investments in biotechnology and genomics can benefit St. Louis and the world. Farmers in developing, and developed, countries are realizing tangible benefits that can increase the quality and quantity of the world’s food.