[driftdiver]

3rd world doesn’t mean hungry. In most places where rice is a staple they have plenty. Shortages are usually caused by government intervention or outright theft.

[factoryrat]

That's a very good point that you brought up. Dictators and communists use crop destruction and confiscation as a method to cull the peasants, and make the survivors more compliant. Burning crops, killing livestock, and salting the earth are time honored traditions of warlords and rulers since time immortal. GMO staples are a way to help get a people back on their feet in the aftermath of a previous catastrophe as noted above, but at some point their diet does need to be diversified.