Science and Rice – A Mixture Saving Lives

Genetic Engineering a Valued Partner in Fighting Hunger, Famine, and Death

During yesterday’s Super Bowl a commercial stated 1 in 3 children are overweight in the United States. Almost immediately I thought of the countless children I met in the streets of Nicaragua or villages in India who had red patches in their hair – a universal mark of protein deficiency. It is said that nearly half of world’s population depends on rice as a staple food. Rice equals life for an alarming percentage of that half. It is at times one of the few barriers between life and starvation or starvation and death. If so many people, including the worlds poorest consume rice then how can we make it go further and do more? Scientists, particularly geneticists, have moved into the forefront to answering these questions.

Applying advances in science to real life use is sometimes controversial. Say the word genetic engineering and cloned sheep may jump to mind, but science when used for the greater good (admittedly a matter of perspective and relativity) can wind up to be a match made in heaven. If countless millions of men, women, and children suffer from malnutrition, chronic illnesses, and die due to lack of access to food, then should not science be used to answer the call?

One breakthrough response has been “golden rice” – rice that has been genetically altered to contain (express in genetic terms) beta-carotene. The beta-carotene provides vitamin A to the eater. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency is responsible for 250,000 to 500,000 children going blind a year; half of which die within a year as a result of their blindness. The project’s objective is to provide a day’s worth of vitamin A in rice rich societies through enhancing what they already have available. It is worth visiting the Golden Rice Project to read about the how, why, and what is next of the work.

In 2008 soaring rice prices, due to higher energy costs (think fertilizers and transportation costs) and failed crop yields (both droughts and floods), left many developing countries and international food programs in dangerous and life threatening scenarios. One hopes the tipping point has been reached for renewable energy sources but one auspicious answer to the failing crop yields is “flood-tolerant rice”. In this case, geneticists have been attempting to alter genes to increase resistance of rice succumbing to flooding from the normal three days to up to seventeen. Scientists say flooding is responsible for ruining an “estimated 4 million tons of rich each year; enough to feed 30 million people”. Targeting flood prone sectors and introducing the genetically altered rice could present a viable solution for increasing access to a vital basic staple.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle in both Golden Rice and flood tolerant rice is passing the taste test of the locals and yield productivity measures of the farmers. Both projects took several years going through testing and trials because as with any gene altering or biotechnological project substantial testing and quality assurance is critical in both protecting the consumer and the local ecosystem. Unfortunately at times confidence wanes when programs are driven by profits and not social and corporate responsibility. It seems daily we are reminded of irresponsible acts of profit driven business executives or FDA announcements of salmonella outbreaks in tomatoes and peanut butter. Finally, one can not forget the viral video on Youtube of diseased cattle in the meat packing line. It makes understanding the delay and the lengthy debates regarding biotechnology understandable, but the future of hunger and malnourishment changes with each potential experiment.

Whether it was with red beans in Nicaragua (known as Gallo Pinto), curry and cilantro in India, plain in Rwanda, or as a bed for other foods to be served on in Thailand, the ubiquity, demand, and importance of rice left quite the impression on me. Food plays such a vital role in maintaining health and a dignified level of life that my experiences made realizing the breakthrough potential of these discoveries an a-ah moment; one where it seemed to make clear sense. The advances of science utilized to address such basic global and human needs, particularly food and health remind me of a quote that summarizes much of my outlook on science that has stayed with me throughout my education: “Talent is a loan from God for relief of man’s estate”.

Something Old, Something New, & Something Yet to Be Determined

Reflection on the Legacy of MLK Jr, Former President Bush, & President Obama

Dr. King’s proud smile is all I can think about. On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr day, I can only wait in celebratory anticipation as our country’s highest honor will soon be filled by an American of color, but more importantly of high intellect and character. In landslide fashion it would appear that the dream of Dr. King has broken through as "the content of a person’s character outweighed the color of their skin". Yet my mind harkens back to the concept of legacy. Much has already been written about soon-former President Bush and President elect Obama but a legacy forms many years after the dust has settled.

I spent the morning rereading a few of Dr. King’s speeches. In them, as countless radio and television shows have documented today, a reader finds a voice of social consciousness – an immobile moral compass with a compassionate heart and prophetic calling to speak truth to power regardless of the consequences. Dr. King is etched in the annals of US history as a champion of the civil rights movement. A man who used non violent civil disobedience, encouraged social activism, and symbolizes the greatness of the American spirit. (Nonetheless after much controversy it was not until 2000 that MLK Jr Day was officially observed in all 50 states)

Often overlooked is the outspoken Dr. King - the anti-war advocate who sought to bridge the civil rights and peace movements in the mid 1960s. Often forgotten is the backlash Dr King received from the media and cherished supporters like the NAACP. In "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence", Dr. King stressed the weight of his Nobel Prize as one of the catalysts of his broader mission. In that address at the historic and storied Riverside Church in NYC, Dr. King’s full arsenal is on display as he inspires and challenges the congregation to think critically and compassionately. What does he use as his thought provoking device? It is none other than Vietnam’s history and the plight of her people. This too is Dr. King’s legacy. However King’s words and mission did not find much support because reconciling the truth is often a road too hard for many.

As President Bush affixes “former” to his title, writers and commentators have already begun the molding of his legacy. President Bush will undoubtedly be remembered for the catastrophe of Katrina, the 9/11 terrorist attack and the response (War on Terror, Patriot Acts, Gitmo, and Abu Ghairb all remain prominent), and the economic meltdown under his eight year watch, but there are meaningful positives that at times go unnoticed. The measuring stick for some will be that no terror attacks took place on US soil. Others, like Bill Frist(R), will point to the unprecedented and bold President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming that has given hope and life to millions fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. I have personally witnessed and documented in this blog how PEPFAR funds have lifted entire communities and made the US a popular country in sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly it could be argued that Former President Bush helped pave the way for equal opportunity and a black President. In Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and Alberto Gonzales, Bush appointed citizens of color and different ethnicities to the forefront of his cabinet and the highest leadership roles in the country. He provided the younger generation with the belief that mobility is possible and the older generation with a more representative face of the country.

Some people may be quick to think the inauguration closes the book on the civil rights movement, but undoubtedly Dr. King would only think a chapter has closed. As President Obama assumes command of the Executive Branch of government, all that is needed is a glance into the failng inner city school systems, the minority filled prisons, and the heavily disproportinate HIV/AIDS statistics to understand Dr. King’s words would ring true. As history has shown and with many of Bush’s biggest initiatives unfinished, it will be at least a generation until his legacy is near complete. Yet another legacy, joined by the smile of a great American from above, is in the meantime off to an auspicious beginning.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

A New Year's Reflection, Resolution, and Prayer

The New Year gives a person time to reflect on their past and perhaps set a plan for their future. In that light…

I would like to thank the many people who have made my work possible. Ranging from family to peers, priests to government officials to former teachers, and Indian to Rwandan, each has played their own vital role of support. Over the year I researched for 5 weeks at a time in Thailand, India, and Rwanda. Each location with faces, names, stories, and experiences that taught me the meaning of compassion, fellowship, and development. My tribute to them is witnessed in all of my presentations and the “Hope & Global HIV” DVD. Too often against seemingly endless odds these people, their stories, work, and struggle, go undocumented or unnoticed. They have taught me the power of the individual to impact their community and create change. Whether acting as individuals or in concert with others, we must never underestimate the power of the individual.

My New Years resolution is already underway. I am in the process of developing a self sustaining and reproducible model that links local communities to ones I have covered throughout this last year. A full post will be dedicated to the overview and logistics of the project in the coming month.

I will leave with this Christian prayer that I have said numerous times over this past year. In each country across language and cultural barriers, I found myself hoping that I was achieving these words. For it is in them that I found much of my motivation and direction. The words espouse a deep sense of personal responsibility and call to action by making the individual the channel, the enabler. With this in mind I wish all a Happy New Year. One in which they can embrace the truth that we all have the power to make a difference.

Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Coming Full Circle

Keynote at Fairfield University Highlights Hope in Action in Global HIV/AIDS Struggle

It is a presentation I have given three times in the last two weeks. The statistics, key points, and stories flow easily as they come from the research and work I have done over the past year. The names and faces forever planted in the fields of my mind. However, this time it is different. This is my alma mater and I am speaking as the keynote for AIDS Awareness week and as the inaugural speaker for the MLK Jr. Lecture Program. The cozy and tech savvy room is full of students, friends, and former professors.

The goal of the presentation is two-fold and centers on the broader concept of hope. To begin we must draw attention to two key factors that fall into the category of grabbing the attention of the audience. The statistics that come out of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic are more than alarming. They are mind numbing: 33 million infected and 25 million deaths. And if we look at who is getting infected it is frightening – the voiceless, the marginalized, married women and young generations. But attention has two sides. We must remember the long way from which the story started. Although treatment is still not a reality for the majority of people infected, over the past five years people put on treatment in sub-Saharan Africa has increased 40 times over. We are making progress, but it is not time to rest as for every TWO people of treatment FIVE are becoming infected. In every presentation the balance has to be kept in check to instill the second goal – inspiration.

It is usually a person, sometimes an organization, but always people looking to make a difference. It is the tangible sign that action can overcome and inaction is unjust. At each speech I show a clip from the DVD I have produced to give the audience an example of both real life people living with HIV/AIDS and people making a difference in their own way. The reoccurring theme that comes through my voice and the DVD is the power of the individual to impact their community.

This night I focused on the movement already started in Rwanda. A story underreported and seldom told. A movement that sees a government working closely with international and domestic organizations and US PEPFAR officials. My voice speaks to the witness of Partners in Health’s (PIH) work providing healthcare to hundreds of thousands in rural Rwanda who before had no options. It also highlights the combined efforts of over 190 different FACEAIDS chapters across the US to raise funds for PIH and awareness of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

The presentation should show that hope is tangible but requires action. I want to inspire all people to see HIV/AIDS as a social justice issue where all can make a noted difference. I want to call attention to the issues, engender a link for advocacy, and inspire action. All people want to make a difference sometimes it is only the how, the confidence, or the first push that is needed.

Note:
The educational and motivational DVD is compiled mostly of my own photos and highlights stories of individuals and organizations creating hope in their communities. It is meant to challenge and inspire a viewer. Follow yellow texted directions on right panel to learn how to get a copy.