Busy week at NSS
It's a busy week at the Namibia Scientific Society (NSS), with a documentary being screened on Monday and a public talk on Thursday.On Monday, the Goethe Institute together with the NSS screens an English documentary, Techno Food.
Directors Jean-Baptiste Erreca and Guilhem Rondot delve into the current practices of food production and find that the planet will soon be unable to satisfy the demand for food. This is already of vital concern, but it is set to become even more pressing.
What kind of solutions could help us rise to this immense challenge?
The billionaires in Silicon Valley have set out to save the planet from malnutrition and abolish animal suffering in slaughter-houses. That led to mayonnaise without eggs, milk without cows and meat without beef. But what will become of farmers, breeders and the food culture then?
The documentary was produced in France last year and has a running time of 43 minutes. It starts at 19:30.
Thursday's talk is Genetic engineering: bane or blessing? It is presented by Dr André de Kathen. For more than 20 years, genetically engineered crops have been commercialised and for almost a decade, the debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) appeared to be settled.
However, technical developments have ignited a new debate on what GMOs are and how they should be regulated.
Dr De Kathen will explain the historical context as well as the scientific and technical background of genetic engineering, providing data on its worldwide adoption, social, economic and health impacts. He will also discuss scenarios which may impact on Namibian agriculture.
The talk starts at 19:30.