Guangzhou University, May 28, 2012: Professor Kadambot Siddique gives a lecture on “Feeding the Growing World in a Changing Climate” at the 70th session of “Little Full-Grain Science Forum” in Guangdong Science Centre on May 27. The forum is hosted by Southern Metropolis Daily and co-hosted by Guangzhou Foreign Expert Bureau, Guangzhou University and Guangzhou Foreign Expert Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Centre.
Professor Siddique is the University of Western Australia’s prestigious Hackett Professor of Agriculture Chair and Associate Dean Research of Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), the editor in chief of Australian Agricultural Research, and a guest professor at Guangzhou University.
During his lecture, Professor Siddique draws a comparison of the agricultural problems between China and the whole world, which he relates to food security in the perspective of improving agricultural science and technology. According to Professor Siddique, the global arable land and rural population are declining while the general population is increasing, so it is every country’s priority to solve the food supply problem, but it is wrong to overuse fertilizer to improve productivity in this regard.He continues to point out that the best solution is new science and technology, such as genetically modified (GM) technology, intensive cultivation and environmental protection. He calls on everybody’s effort when coping with food security problems.
During the Q&A session, GM food becomes a highlight from the audience. Professor Siddique holds that there is no concrete scientific evidence to prove GM food is harmful so far. Plus the rigid regulation system of GM food in the west, consumers do not need to worry too much about its safety. Instead, GM technology’s environmental-friendly merits should be more highlighted. He takes the cotton for example.GM technology only uses one sixth or two sevenths of pesticide, so it significantly reduces the impact to soil, environment and the plants. All in all, the lecture is informative and inspiring. During the interview with the audience after the lecture, a student says that “Food security should not be dealt by the government alone. We are all responsible to it, so we must cherish every mouthful of food and protect every land we have”.
For the record, GU launched the “Foreign Expert Import Program” in 2009. Since then, 64 programs have been conducted with 66 experts from 18 countries, such as American, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Israel and India. Professor Siddique is invited to speakby GU’s International Exchanges and Cooperation Department (or Guangzhou Foreign Expert Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Centre.) and Guangzhou Foreign Expert Bureau, so his lecture is part of the “Little Full-Grain Science Forum” as well as the “Guangzhou Top Foreign Expert Forum”.
Written by: Chen Xinyao, Wei Yuli
Edited by: Ye Aiyun
Source: GU News (Chinese)
Chinese