The Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops Essay

We are keeping our food reliable through the use of GMOs. GMOs can provide food that can be helpful for conditions in the world. They can be manufactured to fit to threatening conditions, such as drought. They can also be used to withstand diseases that have the potential to cause famine. Blights can cost millions in damages, and with new resistance technology being tested we could save millions of dolars and millions of crops. "Blight-resistant potatoes would be one of the first major foods genetically engineered to incorporate defenses against plant diseases, which annually destroy some 15 percent of the world’s agricultural harvest." These foods can even be modified to prevent bugs from consuming or ruining a crop yield. This resistance to famine can help us become less concerned about starvation due to unfavorable conditions. The crop yield can remain the same. Those opposed to GMOs may claim that they increase pestacides and harm the environment. This is completely false. "It is a matter of fact that GM crops have drastically cut the use of such pesticides. GM cotton, containing a built in insecticide, uses 50% less chemical insecticides. In 1998 around 1000 tonnes less insecticide was used in the US cotton belt than before the introduction of GM cotton. That insecticide was mainly sprayed from planes. Only a small percentage reached its target. The rest drifted into the wider environment killing

Research conducted by David Zilberman concludes: “Bt corn has an estimated yield of 34 percent more in the Philippines, 11 percent in South Africa, 9 percent in Argentina and 5 to 6 percent each in the U.S. and Spain, according to his study” (Finz). The author points out the benefit in crop yield through the use of GM crops in nations which are still developing or partially developed, such as the Philippines and South Africa, which can help boost food production in local communities. Another benefit of GM crops is the reduced price at which farmers can sell their crops. Robert Paarlberg of Harvard University speculates: “If increased farm productivity from the use of transgenic varieties boosts food production and lowers the price of food staples in poor countries (especially in South Asia and Africa), the nutritional circumstances of poor rural and urban consumers will improve” (Paarlberg 167). Increases in crop yield like those described by Zilberman affect global food prices much like Paarlberg predicted: as the supply of GM crops increases, the demand for these products decreases, therefore reducing the price. Subsequently, the profits of farmers using GM seeds increase dramatically, as suggested in an article in Science in the News of Harvard

“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.

Some benefits of genetically modified foods are that they can provide a solution to the global hunger crisis. With genetic engineering, it seems suddenly possible to solve many of the problems that plague food production worldwide. “Most GM crops are either insect-resistant (that is, produce their own pesticide), herbicide-tolerant or sometimes both” (Cotter, 2011).

GM crops have the potential to feed the growing population without requiring more land and an unsustainable increase of agricultural inputs. GM foods can be modified for increased crop-yield per acre, which allows farmers to grow more food in less space and decreases the need to find more arable land. Between 1996-2012, there was an increase of more than 370 million tons of food crop, and GM crops in the U.S. accounted for one seventh of the increased yield. Without the use of GM crops, 300 million more acres of conventional crop would have been needed (Oliver 2013), and these 300 million acres would have also required more resources like fertilizer and irrigation (Zhang 2016). Based on these figures, it’s clear that with

Introducing this new technology hasn’t really gone well with the public because there is still concerns in what are the effects towards the environment and health safety (Somerville, 2000). The main crops that have been genetically modified are soybean, maize, cotton and oilseed rape (Phipps and Park, 2002). GM crops have shown positive results in pest and disease resistance, crop yield increases, reduction in pesticides, and environmental and nutritional improvements (Connor et al. 2003; Phipps and Park, 2002). However, activists view GMO’s to be dangerous to the environment and public health (Somerville, 2000). GM crops can be the one piece of technology that we need to tackle one of

Genetically modified crops offer many advantages over conventional crops and farming methods ("Ethical Issues"). For example, genetically modified crops give larger individual produce and generate higher yields around the world. In a review of studies published by PG Economics, it is mentioned that "[Biotechnology has] delivered positive yield impacts in all user countries (except Australia) when compared to average yields derived from crops using conventional technology such as application of insecticides and seed treatments" ("Biotech crops: evidence, outcomes and impacts 1996-2007"). Increased yields lead to a net gain in happiness from the public, as prices of GM crops are lowing than organic alternatives.

Generating more supply is one of the main benefits of genetically modified food. A well-known advantage of GM crops is their ability to produce higher yields than ever before (The 1). According to studies done at UC Santa Cruz, greater yields help farmers use their land efficiently, with minor use of pesticides (Benefits 1). Plants that are modified produce more crops with the same amount of land as non-GM plants, benefitting farmers. In fact, developments in agriculture and upcoming of GM crops have increased produce, and decreased the cost of production (Statement 1). If GM products are allegedly safe, why not produce more and save money? According to Stacy Finz, student at UC Berkley, genetically modified corn has produced 34% more than conventionally grown crops in the Phillipines (Finz 1). This benefits agricultural companies and consumers by generating

Unless one eats only fresh, unprocessed foods that are marked as non-GMO or certified organic; chances are that one eats food that has been genetically modified. Up to eighty percent of food in stores in America are genetically modified. America pushes these foods and the biotech industry so intensely. But, are these foods truly safe?

The mid-1990’s brought about bouts of new technological advances in horticulture; biotechnology has become the staple of many of the worlds most populated countries agricultural practices. Since that time, the scientific merit of genetically modified organisms has been “one of the most debated scientific topics around the world”, and continues to cause great concern both inside and outside the United States (Bhargava 1402). In some of the largest populated areas in the world, genetically modified organisms, GMO’s, are used without substantial research and have resulted in varying food safety scares around the world, but particularly in the United States. Along with the potential health hazards, genetically modified products have also

Although, critics take on GMO’s is highly skeptical, the future of genetically engineered crops offer promising benefits to the agricultural industry and food markets of the world. This paper presents arguments and provides research evidence to support the claim that GMO’s can lead to higher production of high quality crops safe for human and animal consumption. GE food will be the key to solving the world food crisis in the future.

GM crops have the potential to feed the growing population without requiring more land and an unsustainable increase of agricultural inputs. First, GM foods can be modified to have increased crop-yield per acre, which allows farmers to grow a lot more food in less space and decreases the need to find more arable land. Between 1996-2012, there was an increase of more than 370 million tons of food crop, and GM crops in the U.S. accounted for one seventh of the increased yield; without GM crops, “an addition of more than 300 million acres of conventional crop would have been needed” (Zhang 2016), and these 300 million acres would have also required more resources like fertilizer and irrigation (Zhang 2016). Based on these figures, it’s clear that with GM technology, farmers can plant crops that produce much higher yields than conventional crops, which in turn increases the global food supply.

I write this paper from the viewpoint of Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, president of Zambia. I was elected as the third Republican president in January of 2002, right at the height of the food crisis (Ingham, 29914). As the nation’s president, it is my responsibility to make decisions that will best serve today’s population, and provocate success for the generations to come. Equally weighing both of these responsibilities led to my decision to refuse the US donations in the form of genetically modified crops. I realize the severity of the situation which plagues my people, but I cannot leave the extended welfare of my country to chance. My decision to refuse aid in the form of genetically modified food stems from the unknown health effects, probable environmental impact and possible trade disruption associated with GMOs.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications, the world’s major manufacturers of GM crops are the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China. The latest findings show that the production of genetically modified crops has grown rapidly and after 12 years, 25 countries have assigned 125 million acres of their agricultural lands to raising genetically modified crops. A wide variety of economic, social and technical aspect of farming determine the adoption of agricultural technology. In 2006, GM crop manufacture also reached significant levels in Paraguay, South Africa, Uruguay and Australia. In the EU, crops have remained uncommon, with the only considerable GM maize production in the EU coming from Spain on an area of approximately 60,000 hectares. In Portugal, Germany, France and the Czech Republic, GM crops were mainly grown for small-scale research trials. In 2005, Iran and the Czech Republic began commercially growing GM crops. As of 2006, 38 percent of GM crops are grown in developing countries (James).

The benefits and fears relating to GM crops. How they affect us and the environment.