Grant Karlas
Mrs. Mercer
Honors Freshman Lit
16 February 2017
GMOs: Modernizing Our World for Good In the mid- 1990s, a new large economic market became a presence around the world. This new market, known as GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, was the product of a technique used by scientists in which they could modify organisms in order to gain desirable traits. Many people saw these as the best thing since sliced bread. Others, however, immediately saw them as a concern to the general public, just as anything new in the food supply would be. Since then, GMOs and GE (Genetic Engineering) have become more advanced and existent in the world, and the controversy over them has grown with it. Now GMOs have become existent not only in
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The reduction of greenhouse gases is often an overlooked benefit of GMOs. Yet today with the use of GMOs crops are having a very beneficial effect on the environment. Due to mass urbanization the world has experienced in the past decades, farm land is decreasing and being replaced by cities and subdivisions. This urbanization forces farmers to increase crop yield for each acre they have. Thankfully, the use of GMOs has allowed farmers to maintain pace with urban development. If GMOs had not been used in 2012, an additional area equivalent to 9% of the U.S. would have had to be farmed around the world to gain the same amount of yield with GMOs (Brookes). Without the use of GMOs and additional burden would be felt by not only on farmers but also on the average consumer due to price increases on produce. Helping the economies of developing countries has been a struggle all throughout history. GMOs have been helping not only developed countries, but also developing countries. In Argentina, herbicide- tolerant crops have been allowing farmers to produce soybeans right after wheat in a growing season, something that was not possible before (Brookes). By being able to farm in this way, Argentinian farmers were able to increase crop yields and control weeds, greatly helping Argentina, which has a struggling economy. But economy boosts are not only happening in Argentina. As Brookes states, “For the 17-year period (1996-2012), the global farm
In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first GMO, Flavr Savr tomato, for sale on grocery store shelves. Uninformed, the people continued buying and consuming the “normal” grocery store products. However, as the number of GMOs in markets increased, the world noticed a higher number of cancers, food allergies, and antibiotic resistances. One reason for creating GM crops is due to the fact that big corporations gain huge profit. In “10 scientific studies proving GMOs can be harmful to human health”, Arjun Walia passionately asserts that genetically modified organisms are extremely detrimental to a person’s health. I agree with Arjun Walia’s claim because a plethora of studies show the negative effects of genetically modified organisms. The world should eliminate the creation of genetically modified organisms because the products ruin the environment, cause economic issues with
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
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
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
GMO’s increase the yield of crops grown by farmers greatly, and provide the world with
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
Yet the amount of farm land is shrinking. Biotechnology is the only way to feed that growing population, by increasing yields to get more food from less land. GMOs mean cheaper, more plentiful food to fight hunger in the Third World. It also cuts costs for consumers and raises livelihoods for farmers in developed countries.
One of the biggest advantages of agricultural biotechnology lies in its economic efficiency. GM crops are financially beneficial to both the farmer and the consumer. Due to their resistance to pests, viruses, and adverse climates, genetically altered crops produce much larger yields than organic or conventional crops. For example, studies show that if no insecticide is used, a GM crop known as Bt maize has a 48% higher yield than non-modified maize varieties
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.
In 2010, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that GMOs “have had fewer adverse effects on the environment than non-GE crops produced conventionally.” (Kollipara, 2015) While there is some contention about the necessity of GMOs for feeding increasing populations (Thompson, 2010), and relieving world hunger (Kollipara, 2015), the negative effects of GMOs, and the companies that produce them can be overstated. In 2011, Monsanto “reduced its direct greenhouse gas emissions 2.5 percent and fresh water consumption 2.1 percent compared to 2010 levels,” (Hardcastle, 2013) by focusing on drip irrigation, using recycled water, and overall reducing their gas emissions by more than 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Korosec,
In contrast, the counter argument claims that GMOs are unsafe for human consumption. However, GMOs actually improve human health by reducing the amount of pesticides needed for successful crop production. With the use of GMOs in crop production, the amount of pesticide and herbicide application has decreased. To resume, successful crop production is essential to a farmer’s success, which could be why over 18 million farmers throughout the world utilize GMOs. The successful production of crops can be achieved by genetically modifying crops with resistance against insects, weeds, and other threats. Resistance to different stressors has reduced pesticide applications by 8.1 percent. Additionally, crops that are modified to be resistant to specific
(Veasa, 2013) “In theory, genetically modified crops and animals will also be more environmentally friendly because they conserve water, soil, and energy. (Veasa, 2013) By using GMO crops, farmers will help the environment by lowering the use of chemicals for pesticides. (Staropoli, 2016) In return, this lowers the amount of fuel used in the vehicles to spray these harmful chemicals. (Staropoli, 2016) The minimal use of fuel by farmers for GMO crops will help lower pollution and help with the ozone degradation.
If more people buy farm produce over time, the health of people increase, as well as the economy. In fact, the U.S. economy will accommodate less inflation if GMO foods are produced. Due to inflation being low, the supply is equal with the demand if farmers can meet consumer requests. Therefore, the consumer will have what is wanted or needed with little effort needed from the producers and distributors. Flavor of crops can benefit the economy, and even the well being of society.
A main reason that many people believe is the reason why GMOs exists is because they increase the yield. However, according to the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development report which is authored by more than 400 scientists yields actually declined. Also, “ They determined that the current GMOs have nothing to offer the goals of reducing hunger and poverty, improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods, and facilitating social and environmental sustainability. On the contrary, GMOs divert money and resources that would otherwise be spent on more safe, reliable, and appropriate technologies.” These facts are what scare me. People believe that GMOs are making life easier because they allow for a higher yield and therefore feeding more people however this is not
Since 1996, farmers in developing countries have received an extra 70 billion dollars from switching to genetically modified crops as they are able to produce a higher yield (Staropoli, 2016). Globally, farmers have reported that on average, they were able to make back over 3 dollars on every genetically modified plant in comparison to traditional crops. However, that 3 dollars was actually over 4 dollars in developing countries in South America, Africa, and parts of Asia (Staropoli, 2016). For example, corn farmers who had genetically modified insect resistant crops claimed to have a 13 percent increase in their yield, whilst cotton farmers had a 17 percent yield in comparison to conventional farmers (Lendman, 2008). Farmers are able to get a notable yield improvement but at the cost of plant diversity and vulnerable plants.