Scientists have recently announced the completion of two projects that sequenced both pig and cucumber genomes. According to the reports, this scientific achievement stands to have a tremendous impact on future research, particularly in the areas of human medicine and agriculture. As I read through the article my first question was, and probably that of most people, what the heck is genome sequencing anyway?

After a quick trip to my favourite search engine and a visit back to my days in high school biology (who knew I would use this stuff again?!), here is what I learned:
All living matter is made up of millions of cells that are directed to perform various functions by their genetic makeup or DNA. The DNA strand is made up of millions of its four component parts, called nucleotides, which determine the genetic sequence of the organism’s DNA.

Identifying the study subject’s particular genome sequence can tell us details about how the animal or plant grows, defends itself from disease and produces the characteristics and behaviours that we identify the plant or animal with.

While I think I will leave this type of work to the professionals, I was most intrigued about the part of the announcement that describes the possible impacts this research will have on human medicine and the agricultural sector. What will this understanding do to our Sunday pork loin roasts or my grandmother’s cucumber sandwiches?

A link to agriculture

As scientists now have an understanding of how plants and animals express certain characteristics, they can genetically modify organisms to express more of the desired characteristics and less of those that are not so desirable. Being able to help organisms express their most desired characteristics will reduce waste, increase productivity of an organization, save producers time and money and produce higher yielding, higher quality food products necessary to feed a growing and starving world.

As the latest organisms to contribute to the ongoing research in genetic sequencing, the genomes of pigs and cucumbers hold the secret to more than a great tasting roast and a refreshing crunch. For example, in a swine breed that commonly develops leg problems, scientists will be able to isolate the sequence that controls leg conformation and be able to modify that gene to lower or even eliminate the occurrence of that type of problem. Pig producers, particularly those in dry areas, will be able to raise livestock who use water more efficiently and have a resistance to parasites and zoonotic diseases, such as H1N1, which also happens to affect humans. As pork represents about 40% of the world meat production, overcoming these common challenges should have a pretty huge effect on the global economy. Being pretty health conscious, I get pretty excited at the prospect of increased food quality and the promises of lower fat pork products. And since pig organs are commonly used for transplantation into humans, the more information we have about them, the better chance of transplant success.

Similarly, in cucumbers, understanding how the plants defend themselves from something like the mosaic virus, scientists can help develop a plant that expresses those characteristics and thus reduce the amount of crop lost to this common cucumber disease or any other type of pest. They will also be able to develop varieties that germinate faster, have a greater cold tolerance, have larger yields and have the potential to grow in a wider variety of climates. As the cucumber is a representative of the cucurbit family, which includes pumpkins, melon, squash and watermelon, this research will extend to a large variety of crops that have economic consequences worldwide.

A continuing challenge

While this story is encouraging, it can’t be finished without mentioning that there are many concerns about using biotechnology to change the way we raise or grow our food supply. Even as the genome sequencing of these organisms leads to a greater understanding of how they work, pigs and cucumbers are just a small part of a larger natural system. Genome sequencing research and biotechnology have the amazing potential to change our economy, human health and agricultural systems in many positive ways, we just have to be prepared to address the challenges that this new technology will bring along the way.

» Science Fair

Last October, in his first major address on the subject, Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates announced $120 million US in grants to support nine agricultural projects in Africa and India. This latest donation brings his Foundation’s support for agricultural development to $1.4 billion. According to Gates, this is just the beginning...

Speaking in Des Moines, Iowa on the eve of World Food Day, Gates praised Nobel Prize-winning scientist Norman Borlaug, who developed a disease resistant variety of wheat that saved “hundreds of millions” of lives. Fueled by Borlaug’s success and Rockefeller family money, the ensuing “Green Revolution” was, according to Gates, “one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century”, that “didn’t go far enough. It didn’t go to Africa.”

Brainchild of a trip to Mexico in the early ‘40’s by Nelson Rockefeller and Henry Wallace (founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred Seed, also US Secretary of Agriculture and Vice President under F.D. Roosevelt), the Green Revolution was based on solving world hunger though the development of hybrid seeds for emerging markets. Mexico had asked the US for help to develop a new variety of wheat for its growing population. After that trip, Rockefeller funded it and hired Borlaug to get it done. According to Borlaug “We spent nearly 20 years breeding high-yield dwarf wheat that resisted a variety of plant pests and diseases and yielded two to three times more grain than traditional varieties. “

Picking up from where Rockefeller left off, Gates is convinced that the future for agriculture — not only Africa but also the rest of the world — lies in genetically modified crops.

“We have to develop crops that can grow in a drought; that can survive in a flood; that can resist pests and disease. We need higher yields on the same land in harsher weather. And we will never get it without a continuous and urgent science-based search to increase productivity.”

Endowed with $34.6 billion, the Gates Foundation must donate at least $1.5 billion a year to charitable projects to maintain its tax status; 2008 grant payments were almost double that and their donation budget for the health sector exceeds that of the World Health Organization.

According to the FAO, 85 percent of the world’s farmers farm less than two hectares. Together with their families, they represent one-third of the world’s population. Of those farmers with one or more hectares of GM crops, 90 percent are smallholders in developing countries. In Africa, 4 out of 5 farmers are smallholders, the majority women.

Gates believes that helping the world’s poorest smallholder farmers grow more crops and get them to market “is the world's single most powerful lever for reducing hunger and poverty…”

The recently announced funding for Africa will support the following projects:

• funding for legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil,
• development of higher yielding varieties of sorghum and millet;
• development of new varieties of sweet potatoes that resist pests and have a higher vitamin content;
• funding to ACRA (The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, heavily supported by both the Gates and the Rockefeller foundations) to support the creation of government policies for small farmers and provide “training and resources” to African governments as they develop laws and regulations concerning the use of biotechnologies;

Impressive, yes. We are losing the fight against poverty. In 2005, 15 years of consecutive poverty reductions came to a sudden halt, and poverty and hunger has been on the rise ever since. Africa, home to over 200 million chronically malnourished people, desperately needs assistance.

But Gates philanthropic support to Africa is not without controversy.

For many, “Green Revolution” is synonymous with large scale mono-cropping, high levels of pesticide and chemical use, loss of biodiversity, a high degree of mechanization, the depletion of soil nutrients, water erosion, loss of domestic food supplies as land shifts to production of non-food and export crops, and alienation of peasant farmers from the land. Gates acknowledges this but says he wants to do things differently in Africa.

What Gates remains committed to is the Green Revolution’s core belief that the solution to world hunger lies in genetically modified seeds. And therein lies the real controversy.

Gates and his colleagues at the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, the United Nations World Food Program, the International Rice Institute argue that genetic modification of plants allows for reduced pesticide use, drought and flood tolerance, higher yields and the ability to incorporate nutrients not naturally occurring, thereby helping to boost production and alleviate hunger. Companies like Dupont/Pioneer Hi-Bred, Monsanto, Syngenta and others who produce and sell genetically modified seeds agree.

But there are many respected policy-makers and scientists who make strong arguments against the introduction of genetically modified crops to Africa. They include genetic instability and cross contamination of genetic material (development of super weeds), development of pesticide resistant bugs, reduction in bio-diversity (e.g. Bt corn pollen is toxic to Monarch Butterfly), potential human health effects (peas in Bangladesh and India), ecological hazards associated with terminator gene technology, cost to farmers to annually purchase new seeds (cannot save seeds), impediments to future trade with Europe (which bans GMO’s) and ethical issues such as patenting genetic material, illegal extraction/expropriation of local genetic material and the resulting lack of fair and equitable distribution of resources.

Difficult questions. With no easy answers. Gates, through the magnitude of his targeted philanthropy, will undoubtedly change the face of African agriculture. Whether this will contribute positively to the long term sustainability of its communities remains to be seen.

Global agribusiness has used the green revolution as a trampoline to colonize the soils of Latin America. Africa is the dark continent about to light up. This time, it will begin with helping the small, local farmers. By offering to sell them magic seeds that may, in the end, wind up costing them the farm.

» AFP

It’s called ‘The Big Green Challenge’ and it’s aimed at reducing climate change by harnessing the ideas of everyday people like you and me who don’t usually have a voice. The contest, held in the United Kingdom, has a prize purse of £1 million, which will be given to the top ten finalists, with the majority going to the winner.

The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent or more, and in order to encourage team work, the submissions must be made by organizations or groups of people.

According to the competition organizers, NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and Arts:

“We’re facing one of the biggest challenges of our generation - climate change. At NESTA, we believe that encouraging people to work together will help find new ways - better ways - to tackle BIG problems, like reducing CO2 emissions.”

Check out the site to see if your ideas are eligible.

» Big Green Challenge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the top cell phone retailers and manufacturers have answered your climate change calls for cell phone recycling. The EPA esimates Americans have more than 100 million unused cell phones in their homes that, if recycled, could save enough upstream energy to power 194,000 households for a full year.

"Thanks to our Plug-In partners' efforts, recycling an old cell phone has become a quick and easy way for Americans to help protect the environment," said Susan Bodine, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "By dropping it off at a store or sending it through the mail, Americans have more recycling options today than ever before."

Partners include: AT&T Wireless, Best Buy, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Office Depot, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Staples, and T-Mobile.

Hit the jump to read the EPA press release.

» Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.)

Naples, Italy might easily be coined the Earth’s least eco-friendly place to live at the moment. Closed incineration plants due to mismanaged public funds, crooked politicians and even the Neapolitan mafia have resulted in inadequate garbage disposal. Residents are literally throwing their garbage out in the street and in some cases burning piles of it just to try and clean it up.

The by-product emissions from burning this refuse can release cancer causing toxic dioxins posing huge public health threats and potentially an environmental disaster.

Leading British dioxin expert Professor Alistair Hay of Leeds University said: "This is not good news at all. Burning plastic containers, many of which are found in household rubbish is a particularly rich source of dioxins."

The waste estimates are currently at 5 thousand tonnes and growing. Each tonne of waste burnt can release 1 gram of dioxins which can reside in fatty tissues of animals or humans and stay in the food chain for years.

The European Union’s Environment Commissioner is expected to hand out public health fines but that likely won’t solve the problem.

A "waste disposal state of emergency," was first decreed in the Naples region in 1994, and it has been renewed annually ever since.

» Telegraph

Hurray! Another cosmetics company stands their eco-friendly ground and still supplies great products.

How does Dr. Hauschka Skin Care do it?

"The simple answer is that we always keep the big picture in mind. When it comes to any one action we take, any one decision we make, we take the time to look at the repercussions and ramifications on the earth, our clients and customers, our communities and our company. We carefully choose every plant and mineral ingredient based on its individual effects and the way it interacts with other ingredients, as well as whether it came from an ecologically and ethically sound source. We choose packaging that's Eco-friendly and which allows us to keep our products free of artificial preservatives."

These innovative and forward thinking companies are leading the way towards limited corporate and consumer impact on the environment. Not only is their business model sound, they are donating 25 per cents of their trial kits to Heifer International to help put an end to world hunger.

» Dr. Hauschka Skin Care (Official Site)