Between Famine and Politics, Zambians Starve

The debate over the use of genetically modified foods in the developing world has reached a critical point of urgency – life or death. While 14,000 tons of corn meal sit untouched in Zambian warehouses, lodged between political and economic concerns, millions starve daily. The President of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, fears that the influx of GM corn will cause mutations in corn grown in the region and necessitate a special label on exports of Zambian corn to EuropeEuropeans’ suspicion of GM foods could mean a substantial loss of export income for Zambia. Given the gravity of the situation, the real challenge for the Zambian government is to choose between a potential loss of income and an almost certain loss of life. –YaleGlobal