Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 26-08-2019

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

A World-renowned British scientist says while the earth’s population is doubling every 75 years, there are concerns about food security for the current seven million population that inhabit the earth.

Dr Chris Smith, better known as The Naked Scientist was among speakers at the Bio Africa Convention at Durban Convention Centre under the theme: From Consumers to Innovators.

The BIO Africa Convention serves as Africa’s Biotech Indaba showcasing bio-innovations from South Africa and the Africa region.

The convention is organised by AfricaBio, an independent, non-profit association for biotechnology stakeholders ensuring safe, ethical, and responsible research, development, and application of biotechnology and its products.

It brings together scientists, researchers, business leaders, bio-entrepreneurs, regulatory authorities, policy makers and biotechnology students from across the globe.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Dr. Smith says food security is a serious concern.

“At the moment we are struggling the ones we have got in less than the lifetime of the average person listening to this programme then we could have twice as many people and therefore twice as many hungry mouths. The answer won’t come from anything other than better ways to produce and create food and distribute food.”

Dr. Smith also says there is a high risk of cancer among the growing population of 15 billion in the next seventy-five years.

“The other fairly striking statistic is that roughly one person in three or one person in two whose listening to this programme will succumb to cancer in their lifetime and this is a major health impact as well and it will rob people of quality of life and also lifespan.”

Biotechnology is the use of a living organism, or some component of a living system, to make a useful product.

We have used the biological processes of microorganisms for more than 6,000 years to make useful food products, such as bread and cheese, and to preserve dairy products.

Listen to the interview with Dr. Chris Smith