Genetically Modified Crops - Essay

Agronomists have been working on these problems for years, but the rapid population growth of humans makes overcoming these challenges increasingly urgent. If we can’t feed the world, it will eventually feed on us.” (Newsweek/United Nations) Scientists find a way to add “medicine” to plant genes, which help it withstands pest attacks and drought problems.“Some GMO corn crops can protect harvests in water-limited conditions better than conventionally produced crops. Other GMOs can also promote use of no-till farming, which keeps more moisture in the soil. No-till also enables farmers to make fewer passes through the field using machinery, which means less fuel used and greenhouse gases emitted.”(Monsanto) GMOs are useful for helping with planting crops in any area of the world.

Genetic engineering is already providing a more stable solution for agricultural production in the economy to stand on. In nine years (i.e. 1996-2005), profits from genetically modified crops were twenty-seven billion dollars. Those twenty-seven billion dollars were not just in the United States or countries like it, but the profits almost split half and half between first and third world countries (O'Neill 19). In India, for example, cotton yields have jumped to one hundred-fifty percent from the use of genetically modified crops, vastly increasing the farmers’ profits (19). The planting of these crops can really help farmers know what they are going to make every year and plan accordingly. Also, helping the farmers’ expenses is the lack of chemical pesticides needed on the crops and reducing time spent using the pricey traditional breeding methods (Mannion and Morse 749-751). Even if genetically modified crops are not planted in every field, adjoining fields can benefit due to the “halo effect.” The “halo effect” is the ability of pest protection on the genetically modified crops to affect the non-genetically modified crops due to the lack of insects in the genetically modified field (754). Genetically modified crops affect the economy in a positive way and should be seen as a smart

Last but not least, Whitman (2000) also states genetically modified crops are more economical especially to farmers in third world countries because they have higher crop yields in lesser time enabling them to satisfy the high demand for food. Genetically modified crops also take up very little land to grow improving profits for farmers. Because they grow in such short time, the demand for more food in starving countries is more easily satisfied at a lower cost.

Genetic Engineering has a multiplicity of uses in agriculture. It can be utilized to increase crop output, resistance to pest and diseases, and enhanced growing conditions. Sagoff states “Genetic engineers can help peasant societies by engineering plants and animals to stand up to the challenges of local conditions, such as blights that affect yams and other traditional crops” (14). The article “Biotechnology and Agriculture: The Common Wisdom and Its Critics.” by Sagoff. Discusses how genetic manipulation of crops would be of major benefit in developing countries, primarily because said countries can 't grow enough food to suffice the populous. Genetic manipulation of plants can make food easier to grow in these countries.

Some benefits of genetically modified foods include the potential to create higher crop surpluses. This is significant because of the increasing population of our nation as well as worldwide. This opens doors for better trade and can provide farmers with more efficient structures and time management. GMOs also reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides. They reduce overall need for manual labor of farmers. GMOs are seen as more economical and beneficial to manufacturers. Besides technical assets, the quality of the food can be improved drastically as well. The foods can stay fresher longer and can also endure weather fluctuations along side with having the capability to grow and produce in originally unsuitable conditions. The most beneficial factor examined from genetically modified foods would be that they can specifically and personally be altered

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines genetically modified foods as: “foods [that are] derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism” (WHO, year). GM foods are constructed and distributed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer. For a GM food to be of theoretical benefit to the consumer and society as a whole, it should: increase crop yields due to the introduced resistance to pests and disease, enhance the nutritional

Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven

One of the great things about GMOs is they’re more economical. They can reduce the cost of certain foods, farmers use less pesticides, and farmers get more out of the land while still conserving it. Genetically modified crops are already resistant to

Producing plants that can live through extended times of drought or and groundwater will help people to produce crops in formerly inhospitable areas as well. Malnutrition is very common in third world countries where the "poor" peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main ingredient of their diet. Since, rice does not contain a sufficient amount of all the vital nutrients to prevent malnutrition, but what if rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, so that certian nutrient deficiencies would be reduced. Its a proven fact that every person will become ill atleast once in there lives and the use of medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes may require special storage techniques that is not available in third world countries, and now researchers are working to patent edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. To not be misleading not all GM plants are grown as crops, soil and groundwater pollution still remains a problem in almost if not every part of the world. One example of an effort to help eliminate this is the use of poplar trees, these trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil.

What are GMOs? GMO is the acronym for genetically modified organism. “GMOs are living beings that have had their genetic code changed in some way” (Purdue University). GMOs commonly refer to crops that are created or modified for human or animal consumption using molecular biology techniques. Molecular biology can be defined as “a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physicochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis” (Merriam Webster). GMOs are an improvement on the plant itself. Although GMOs seem like a fresh new idea, the human race has been modifying crops for thousands of years. “Humans have been genetically modifying organisms for over 30,000 years” (Rangel,

These improvements are possible due to the genetic modifications done to the crops, by inserting genes and toxins from other plants and organisms some crops are now resistant to plagues without the need of pesticides. Of course, some will probably disagree on the grounds that toxins in the food we eat isn’t much healthy, but as researches have shown there is no evidence to prove that these toxins are a hazard to humans. The president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Pamela Bailey states that “In fact, there has never been a single credible scientific study showing GMOs to have harmful effects on humans, animals, or our environment” (Bailey). In other words, there has been quite a few scientific researches but so far there hasn’t been any concrete evidence showing that GMOs are any hazard to humans, animals, or the environment. Therefore, until the day that GMOs are presented to us as a potential hazard I don’t see why we should stop using them if all they’ve done is improve the production of crops and help underfed countries

For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher

The issue of producing and consuming genetically altered foods is controversial. Changing the natural content of plants and animals has negative impacts. For instance, genetically altering the DNA of plants or animals have a possibility to create allergens into a food, which results in allergic reactions. Environmentally, genetically modified crops have disadvantages. Plants can be modified to be pesticides and herbicide tolerant. Hence, when plants are sprayed with chemicals, those chemicals contaminate the surroundings. Besides, the chemicals are toxic to some pollinators, this results in the reduction of pollinators, which contributes to the decrease in genetic diversity in crops. The reduction in genetic diversity of plants disrupts the

GMO can solve World Hunger. 2 billion people in the world can’t afford to buy food. If there are Genetically Modified Organisms then we are able to feed these people with cheap and

Genetically modified foods are a types of foods that have been genetically changed, to add or get rid of an unwanted trait in a food. For example, seedless oranges. This is a type of orange that is genetically modified (had tits genes changed) specifically so it would grow without seeds. Many foods are genetically modified today. Oranges, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and many others have had their genes changed. In fact, the average person will eat at least one genetically modified food everyday without realizing it. According to a survey by USDA 26% of people asked believed that they had never eaten a genetically modified food.