ENS 301.01
Investigating How Levels of Food Security in Sylhet, Bangladesh Impacts a Person's Feelings Towards Golden Rice
Stevie Averill
Investigating How Levels of Food Security in Sylhet, Bangladesh Impacts a Person's Feelings Towards Golden Rice
Stevie Averill
Rice makes up 67.5% of Bangladeshis' daily caloric intake. However, rice only provides 46% of the daily Vitamin A requirements a person needs to thrive and prevent diseases related to this deficiency. Golden Rice, a genetically modified version of traditional rice infused with the vitamin, is one potential solution to decrease deficiency within Bangladesh. Since Golden Rice has not yet been approved for cultivation in the country, it's important to look at the factors contributing to a person's opinions on the topic. In this instance in particular-- how food insecurity itself shapes a person's feelings towards it.
Vitamin A deficiencies cause a variety of health issues. One that is quite severe is Xerophthalmia, a disease that ultimately leads to blindness.
Golden rice offers a food option similar to the rice already being consumed with no need for infrastructure changes. The main difference being the color of grain, where the seeds are purchased, and most important, the beta-kerotene infused in it that converts into vitamin A in the body.
With introducing any new crop, there is a potential of a failure to meet the yield or quality necessary to protect one's livelihood after harvest. This risk aversion is enough to encourage farmers to stick to what works for them already. Putting food on the table in the first place is more important than ensuring it contains enough vitamins.
This model looks at how different circumstances and structures impact a person's current assets and influence the strategy used to increase their assets within the outcome. In particular, this looks mostly at how if in completely ideal circumstances, cultivating golden rice would increase many assets and thus benefit the livelihoods of people in Bangladesh. These ideal situations, however, may not be realistic.
Existing studies focus more on how a person's education levels or the thoughts of their community impact their beliefs. There appears to be little research on how food security makes a difference. This is something that needs to be looked into as food insecurity tends to be the root of malnutrition in the first place. The inability to afford different food sources that are more nutrient-rich means that the food consumed does not provide the nutrients needed. Understanding the impacts of food insecurity will provide a better understanding of what influences a person's beliefs.
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