In the developing world, 840 million people are chronically undernourished, surviving on fewer than 8000 kJ/day (2000 Kcal/day).
Approximately 1.3 billion people are living on less than US$1/day and do not have secure access to food.
Many of these are also rural farmers in developing countries, depending entirely on small-scale agriculture for their own subsistence and to make their living.
They generally cannot afford to irrigate their crops or purchase herbicides or pesticides, leading to a vicious circle of poor crop growth, falling yields and pest susceptibility.
In addition, the world's population is predicted to double over the next 40 years, with over 95% of individuals being born in developing countries.
It is estimated that to meet these increased demands, food production must increase by at least 40% in the face of decreasing fertile lands and water resources.
GM plant technologies are one of a number of different approaches that are being developed to combat these problems.
From the first generation of GM crops, two main areas of concern have emerged, namely risk to the environment and risk to human health.
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