THE debate about genetically modified crops has stalled. Greens warn of threats to natural ecosystems, the integrity of organic food, and even our health. The biotech industry has a standard response: “Middle-class Westerners may fuss about such things, but we have a responsibility to feed the starving millions.”
This week the shrill voices are being heard again around the corridors of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome as it hosts the World Food Summit. It is easy to be cynical of such gatherings. The first, held in 1996, saw governments commit to halving the number of hungry people…
