All That Glitters May Not Be Gold.docx
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All That Glitters May Not Be Gold.docx
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AllThatGlittersMayNotBeGold
AllThatGlittersMayNotBeGold:
ATroublesomeCaseofTransgenicRice
by
GeraldF.Combs,Jr.
DivisionofNutritionalSciences
CornellUniversity
Ithadtakensometimeforthisself-describedcountrygirltobecomecomfortablewiththe50-minutemetrocommutetoworkeachday,butasshesignedinatLongworthBuildingsecuritydesk,CindyStaceyrealizedshewasstartingtofeelathomeinWashington.QuitealongwayfromFargo,shemused,insomanyways.
Cindyhadcometoherpresentpositionabitbychance,althoughothersmightnothaveseenitthatway.ShewasaPeaceCorpsvolunteerteachingEnglishinBangladeshwhen,ashertourwascomingtoaclose,afriendattheU.S.embassytoldheraboutajobpostingontheInternet.Acongressman'sofficewaslookingforsomeonewithabackgroundinagricultureandinternationaldevelopment.SheattributedthepositiveresponsetoherinitialquerytothefactthatthecongressmaninquestionwasCarlPomerantzofNorthCarolina,herhomestate.ButwhenshehadfinallyinterviewedwithCampbellHurst,Rep.Pomerantz'sexecutiveassistant,shesawthattheyweregenuinelyimpressedbyherPeaceCorpsexperience.
Atanyrate,hereshewas,inthemostinterestingjobshecouldimagine.Ithadtakenherafewweekstolearntheropes,butCampbellwasgivinghermoreandmoreresponsibility,andshenolongerfeltquiteasmuchlikea"go-for."
Rep.Pomerantzwasnowinhisfourthterm.HehadtheanomalousdistinctionofbeingapopularurbanDemocratinanoverwhelminglyconservativeRepublicanagriculturalstate.Hisbackgroundwasintheinsuranceindustry,andhisexpertiseinagriculturalinsurancehadlandedhimaseatontheHouseAgricultureCommittee,onwhichhewasnowtherankingminoritymember.HealsosatontheRiskManagement,SpecialtyCropsandResearchSubcommittee,aswellastheHouseInternationalRelationsCommittee.HeseemedtogetalongverywellwiththeothermembersofCongress.
CindyhadmetMr.Pomerantzoncebefore,atareceptioninFargowhenshehadbeenhomeonawinterbreakfromCornellUniversity,butshewascertainthathehadnotrememberedher.Shenowfoundhimtobeconsiderateofhisstaffandcommittedtohisjob.Shelikedhimverymuch.
Cindy'sfeelingsforCampbellHurstwerenotquiteaswarm.SherealizedthathisjobwastomakesurethatMr.Pomerantzhadtheinformationheneededwhenheneededit,whichrequiredthathebemindfulofthecongressman'spoliticalagenda.Still,shecouldn'thelpbutseepersonalambitioninthis.Afterall,hiscareerfuturewastiedtoMr.Pomerantz'spoliticalsuccess.Shesuspectedthatwaswhyhetriedtosteerthecongressmanintothemostpoliticallysafedecisionswheneverhecould.
Twodaysago,CampbellhadgivenCindyherfirstmeatyassignment:
todraftareviewoftheneedsandopportunitiesinagriculturalresearchwithrelevancetointernationalmarkets.ThiswastobeusedaspartofMr.Pomerantz'sworkonthenewHouseagriculturebill.Infact,Mr.Pomerantzhadaskedherspecificallytolookintoissuessurroundingwhathehadcalled"hiddenhunger,"micronutrientmalnutrition,sincehewasinterestedinredirectingfundsnowbeingspentonU.S.surpluscommoditiesunderPL480.CampbellhadaddedthatsheshouldlookthroughthecurrentactivitiesoftheUSDAAgriculturalResearchServicerelatedtoGMOs(geneticallymodifiedorganisms)thatmightofferpotentialtoincreaseinternationalmarketsforAmericanagriculturalcommodities.ItwasalsocleartoherthatCampbellwouldnotwanttohearmuchaboutdirectresearchneedsconcerningmicronutrientssincehewasverysensitivetowhathesawaspoliticalliabilitiesintheuseofUSDAbudgetarysupporttoaddressnon-domesticproblems.
ButCindyknewthatCampbellhadneverseenthoseproblems.Neitherhadshe,untilshewenttoBangladesh.Inthepoorvillageswhereshehadlived,outsideoftheportcityofChittagong,shehadbeenshockedattheblindnessandbonedeformities,thegoiteranddiarrheashesaw.Shewasalsoamazedatthenumberofkidswhosufferedfromstuntingandthecrippling,brittlebonesofoldwomen,bothofwhichweresoprevalentthattheybecameanacceptedpartofthelivesoftheseverypoorpeople.Cindydidn'tliketheterm"hiddenhunger"forsomethingthathadslappedherintheface.ButshewasverypleasedthatMr.Pomerantzwantedtoaddress.That,infact,hadbeenthemajorreasonshehadtakenthisjob.
Thoughshehadneverdiscussedthematterwiththecongressman,Cindysuspectedthathisinterestwasconnectedtothefactthathisdaughterhadcerebralpalsy.Onecouldn'tmissthepassionwithwhichhetalkedabout"hiddenhunger,"referringtoitasa"preventablesourceofdisability."OthersintheofficedatedhisinterestinthisareatoanofficialtriphehadmadetoMozambiqueinhissecondterm.
CindysuspectedthatforCampbell,ontheotherhand,"hiddenhunger"remainedsomethingabstract.
Forthelasttwodays,CindypracticallylivedattheLibraryofCongress.Shepouredovereverythingshecouldfind,whichcamemainlyfromUNICEFandFAOpublicationsaswellassomerecentresearchintheplantbreedingarea.ShecalledoneofheroldprofessorsatCornellandtalkedtoafriendattheBeltsvilleAgriculturalResearchCenterofARS.Duringthisprocess,shehadcomeacrossGoldenRiceTM,thetransgenicriceintowhichabeta-carotenegenehadbeenaddedfromanotherplantspecies.ThisfoodstuffwasbeingpromotedasthesolutiontoglobalvitaminAdeficiencybyitsdevelopersattheInternationalRiceResearchInstitute.
GoldenRicefascinatedCindy.ShewasawareofitspoliticallysensitiveGMOstatusbutsawenormousopportunitiesforproductsofthistypetohelpmillionsofchildren.Infact,GoldenRiceseemedtobetheonlymicronutrient-enhancedstaplebeingdevelopedbyanymeans,conventionalorotherwise.Cindywonderedwhetheritsdevelopmentmightreallybesufficienttoaddressthemalnutritioninplaceswherericewasthemajorstaple.Shewonderedwhetheritmightcarryanyoftherisksbeingsuggestedforothertransgeniccrops.Shewonderedwhatkindofpoliticalresistanceitmightface.Evenifitwereeffective,shewonderedwhethersomehowitsefficacymightbeusedasanexcusenottofundotherinternationaleffortsrelatedtofood,agriculture,andmarketdevelopment.Inshort,shewascomingupwithmorequestionsthananswers.
TheelevatordooropenedonthethirdfloorandCindysteppedout,headingdownthelongcorridortowardMr.Pomerantz'soffices.CampbellaskedhertopresentherinitialfindingstoMr.Pomerantzafterlunch,sosheplannedtospendthemorningpreparinghersynopsis.Untilshefinishedherresearch,however,evenshedidn'tyetknowwhatherfinalconclusionswouldbe.
DatePosted:
nas,10/05/01
CASETEACHINGNOTES
for
"AllThatGlittersMayNotBeGold"
by
GeraldF.Combs,Jr.
DivisionofNutritionalSciences
CornellUniversity
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
Inthisdecisioncase,acongressionalstaffermustweighanumberofcompetingneeds,includingthepopularreactionstogeneticallymodifiedorganisms(GMOs)andtheneedtoeliminatevitaminAdeficiency,indecidinghowtopresentinformationtoherboss,aninfluentialcongressmandraftinglegislationtosupportagriculturalresearch.Thecaseexploresthesocialandbiologicalissuessurroundingmicronutrientmalnutrition,includingdeficienciesofseveralvitaminsandessentialminerals,especiallyiron,iodine,andvitaminA.Theseproblems,whichhavebeenreferredtoas"hiddenhunger,"affectatleastone-thirdoftheworld'spopulation,buttheiroccurrenceisconfinedmainlytodevelopingcountrieswheretheytypicallyaffecttwicethatfractionofpeopleandcontributetohalfofallchildmortalities.Thecasedealswiththenatureandcausesofhiddenhungerandwhytheseproblemspersistdespitethegainsinfoodproductionmadebythe"GreenRevolution."UsingvitaminAdeficiencyastheexemplar,thecaseaddressespossibilitiesforpreventingmicronutrientmalnutrition.
GoldenRiceTMisdiscussedasanexampleofaproductthatmightbeusedtoaddresstheprevalentvitaminAdeficiencyindevelopingcountries.Accordingtosome,thisriceoffersthepossibility,byprovidinganavailablesourceofvitaminAinamajorstaplefood,ofreducingeachyearhundredsofthousandsofcasesofcornealblindnessanddeathduetoinfectionamongchildreninpoor,rice-eatingcountries.
Ipreparedthiscaseforuseinagraduate-levelseminar,"Genomics,Agriculture,FoodSystemsandDevelopment,"atCornellUniversity.Thedozenstudentsinthecoursealsoincludedseveralundergraduates.Onlyafewstudentscamefrombiologicaldisciplines;mostweresocialscientists.Thecaseisusedlateinthesemesteraspartofaseriesofclassesledbyvariousprofessorsdealingwiththeissuessurroundinggenomicapplicationsinagricultureandtheirimplicationstohealth,environmentalstewardship,economicsustainability,andnationaldevelopment.
Objectives
∙Tolearnabouttheprevalenceandnatureofmicronutrientmalnutritioninthedevelopingworld.
∙Toexaminethenutritionalaspectsofpro-vitaminAcarotenoidsinfoods,thephysiologicalfunctionsofvitaminA,andthehealthconsequencesofchronicvitaminAdeficiency.
∙Tounderstandthe"foodsystems"perspectiveonmalnutrition.
∙Toexplorehowthetoolsofmoleculargeneticsareusedtoproducetransgeniccrops.
∙TolearnaboutGoldenRiceandthecontroversysurroundingit.
∙Togainabetterunderstandingoftheneedsforsustainablesolutionstoproblemsofmalnutrition.
BLOCKSOFANALYSIS
Whilethecaseostensiblydealswithfundingagriculturalresear
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