Genetically Modified Organism, Agriculture, And Synthetic Fertilizers

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

GMOs are extremely effective in increasing crop yields a tremendous amount. One good example of this is the green revolution, which took place during the 1960s and 1970. During this time, farmers started using hybrid seeds and pesticides far more heavily than ever before. Biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted that by the 1970s, the US will have stopped sending India food aid, and that hundreds of millions of people will have died of hunger. The hybrid seeds, between 1970 and 1995, improved production speeds by two-thirds, and saved an estimated billion people from starvation. The use of

By genetically modifying traits in plants, biotechnology allows for higher food production in a wider array of places without the use of chemicals or limited resources. The increased crop availability results in economic profit, not only in the United States, but in developed and non-developed nations around the globe. A study to support this claim from Iowa State University shows that without GMO’s, global prices would be nearly 10% higher for soybeans and 6% higher for corn, two largely grown crops throughout the world. The net economic benefit for farmers in 2011 was $19.8 billion (PG Economics, 1996-2011). This results in an average rise in income of $329 per acre. For the entire 16-year period since the introduction of GMO’s, the increase in global

Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed

Jonathan Rauch presents evidence that genetically modified food could potentially provide nutrition to save future generations from starving. Ploughing is the process of turning the soil and land with a plow in order to plant new crops. This ensures that the soil will be fresh for planting, and the weeds and other crops will be broken down. However, ploughing can bring about environmental impacts. Ploughing pollutes rivers, erosion that wears away the land, and greenhouse gases that are released into the air. In his essay, Rauch visits a 200-acre farmland which is called Good Luck Tract. This farm is not a typical one. Instead of having flat land for growing, the land was rolling hills. This ensured that there was no pollution, chemical or soil runoff. Since the land was not ploughed, the soil was able to regenerate back to a healthy ecosystem. Issues of erosion and runoff disappeared because the soil was soaking up most of the water. The ecosystem was thriving again, and insects such as worms were doing the ploughing. At this farm, it wasn’t necessary to plough anymore. This means that they were not wasting fuel on ploughing, which means they were saving money, saving energy, and reducing pollution. If every farm stopped ploughing, or even reduced how much they did, it would make for better growing conditions. In this scenario, the field was dense with wheat. It had almost twice the amount that you could grow in regular conditions. The soil was more rich in organic matter, meaning it was more nourishing to the crops. The pressure to produce more food will continue to grow in the upcoming decades. According to the United Nations, the human population will grow by upwards of 40% in 2050. To account for the increasing populations, food outputs will need to double to account for the number of people who will live on this planet. The elimination of the plough depends on genetically modified crops. Rauch goes on to explain

John Robbins, author of The Food Revolution states that “if genetically engineered plants were designed to reverse world hunger, you would expect them to bring higher yields. But there is increasing evidence that they do just the opposite”. Numerous studies have shown that GM crops do not have a higher yield production, but in fact have at times shown a lower outcome. In 2000, “research done by the University of Nebraska found the yields of GE soybeans were six to eleven percent lower than conventional plants” (Robbins). Evidence that GM foods are not the answer to world hunger continues to pile up. Former US EPA and US FDA biotech specialist Dr. Doug Gurian-Sherman acknowledges that GM crops are not beneficial to solving world hunger: “as of this year [2008], there are no commercialized GM crops that inherently increase yield. Similarly, there are no GM crops on the market that were engineered to resist drought, reduce fertilizer pollution or save soil. Not one” (“10 Reasons Why we don’t Need GM Foods”). Genetically modified corn is a product that has been modified to the extreme in recent years. Here, you can clearly see the physical differences between organic and GM corn. In response to Monsanto’s statement, eighteen African delegates clearly objected, noting that it would undermine their capacity to feed

In an ever changing world, there are only a few things that are certain that all people need. It is said that a human can last three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water, and three weeks without food. The typical American farmer in 2017 feeds about 155 people compared to the 25.8 people in 1960. The thought of genetically modified organisms is nothing more than just a regulatory muddle. Agriculture is such a widely conversed topic however, through extensive research, international experiments, and general education, it is clear that genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are safe on all aspects as well as necessary to continue to feed the people.

Genetically engineered crops in the United States cover almost one quarter of all the cropland. Soybeans, cotton, and corn are the products that tend to be the most modified. GMOs do not only have the purpose of solving world hunger, but also to cure diseases and create vaccines. John and Cheryl talk about Monsanto and DuPont, another big company involved in the production of GMOs. These two companies claim that their products have the purpose of feed the world and at the same time reduce the use of pesticides and stop the production of erosion. Nonetheless, researches have shown that the claims of these companies have no support, since biotechnology has been improving quickly and the current study to prevent bigger mistakes in the future is

Farming is one of the oldest professions known to mankind. Since time immemorial, man has harvested crops and built civilizations around farms. Agriculture has been a building block for many of the world’s greatest civilizations and continues to be the backbone of many countries across the globe today. In earlier days, farms and agricultural practices were limited to a small size due to the lack of greater need however as the world’s population has continued to grow exponentially, farms have dramatically increased in size and agricultural production has increased owing to the use of newer scientific techniques and more refined catalysts for growth such as re-engineered fertilizers and richer soil. However, despite all this crops are still vulnerable to diseases that pose a great threat and jeopardize the output of a farm; along with this there exists a natural limit that can be achieved in terms of productivity due to constraints such as depletion of minerals in the soil and natural make-up of the plants. To overcome these obstacles, a new practice by the name of genetic modification is rapidly becoming popular and taking the world by storm. Genetically modified organisms are those whose natural genetic makeup has been

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

Since 2.3 billion people will be added to the world from 2009 to 2050, biotechnology- Genetically Modified Organism- is a must to combat the global food crisis(Weisser para. 2). When the United States developed Bt corn, “[they] have been genetically engineered to resist herbicides and pests and even withstand drought.”(para. 16). Unlike corn that have never been modified, the Bt corn were able to survive better because of their resistant to herbicides, pests, and drought; resulting, a corn that can survive in harsh environment. By creating a modified corn that can survive in harsh environment, a large supply of corn- food- can be produced. If biotechnology can genetically modified corn to survive in harsh condition, more food can be produced; resulting 2.3 billion people can be fed; therefore, addressing the global food crisis. To put it briefly, limiting biotechnology would prevent addressing the global food crisis. Not only can genetic engineering address the global food crisis, but it can also improve medicine

According to a range of documented evidence that has been collected by scientists over the years, agricultural biotechnology is a safe and beneficial technology that supports both environmental and economic sustainability. Many farmers choose to use bio or GM crops over non-GM crops as they increase yield and lower the endlessly growing production costs (Bio.org, 2014). Due to biotechnology and genetic modification, many herbicides and pesticides have been replaced with smaller amounts of safer chemicals that do the same but have less of an impact on the environment (Bio.org, 2014). In the last few years genetically modified crops have become highly debated but with an ever increasing global population and massive third world hunger GM foods need to be considered more. (Classes.soe.ucsc.edu, 2014)

Genetic modification (GM) of crops is not new. In fact, it has been around for over 10,000 years, dating back to prehistoric times when hunters and gatherers, and farmers and plant breeders created hybrid plants and seeds by selective breeding – selecting the best naturally related plants in the field to naturally crossbreed. Since the 1990’s there has been a more “modern” way of growing (GE) crops. Genetic engineering typically involves the transfer of related and sometimes unrelated organisms, gene editing, splicing together parts of existing genes or creating new ones. This process has been widely criticized due to the manipulations of genes/DNA that alter and disrupt the DNA of another organism with consequences that are unpredictable and uncontrollable. Today, 80% plus of corn, soybean, cotton, canola and sugar beets in the United States is from GE seeds. Currently, there are approximately twenty-six countries with partial or total bans of GMOs and the pesticide glyphosate

The first greatly beneficial yield that comes from biotechnology and genetic engineering is genetically modified foods or “GM” foods. The population of the united states and of the world is growing at an extremely rapid pace, which means the rate of food produced will have to escalate at the same or a greater rate. The only problem is that almost half of the Earth is

The main concern in todays society is the malnutrition and decreasing supply of crops and livestock due to human consumptions and decreasing rate of farm land. An article published from the National Geographic states, “By the year 2050 the worlds population will reach over 9 billion and with the decreasing rate of land and livestock how can we keep up with the demand.” How will we as a society be able to assist in helping feed the over 9 billion that will populate the earth? This has become a challenge for scientist and agriculturalist to find a more effective way to grow and produce a variety of different types of crops and livestock. In the year 1980, the first GMO patent was issued changing society and the agricultural industry forever. Genetically enhanced organisms can withstand certain pests along with the changing climates that farmers endure. Now you can find genetically engineered crops and livestock product at your local supermarket. Soy, Corn, Canola Oil, and many other products are now labeled foR families to be aware exactly what they are consuming.