Golden Rice is being tested in experimental fields in the Philippines but some people there don’t want it. Matt McGrath at the BBC reports that, a few days ago, local farmers vandalised the field trial. I’m grateful to my fellow blogger Finn Holding at The Naturephile for drawing attention to this.

Golden Rice is a variety of Oryza sativa. It was made by genetic modification (GM, also called genetic engineering or GE) so it’s one of the biotech crops. It makes β-carotene (provitamin A) in its grains. The idea is that people in poor countries, especially pregnant women and young children, could eat Golden Rice.

Here’s how it works. β-carotene is a ‘provitamin’ because the body converts it to Vitamin A. We need Vitamin A for our eyes and immune system, among other things. In many poor countries, people are malnourished so that Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a…