8
votes
Edible cottonseed is now a thing — and it could have big implications for world hunger
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- Title
- You can wear cotton. Soon, you may also be able to eat it.
- Published
- Oct 19 2018
- Word count
- 882 words
It could, once:
A) It's broadly available. It's currently not even available in amounts sufficient for even a single run of cottonseed oil at a mill.
B) It's available at a cost similar to other strains of cotton. Especially near the beginning where the infrastructure to turn the seeds into food is less available the new strain will need to survive on the economic viability of the cotton. If the new strain is noticeably more expensive it won't be picked.
C) Replanting isn't limited by contract. Many GMO crops have stringent limitations on use, requiring farmers to buy new seed every year as opposed to being able to use the existing seed to replant. Farmers are understandably wary of such contracts, as it turns a one-time cost into a recurring cost.
All of that aside, this is a triumph for Texas A&M, and I hope it can be spread widely.