What Are The Pros And Cons Of GM Crops

Despite the popular unfavorable side of GMOs, little to be known there could be a good side. Many farmers, scientists, and consumers say GMOs are helpful. Crops that are genetically engineered to fight diseases are saving not only the foods we love, but industries that grow them (Food Dialogues). With GMOs less water or pesticides are needed to grow food on less land. Scientists are working on a variety of genetically modifies seeds to create a hypoallergenic

There are many benefits to GMO’s with global population rising it is great to have food that can resist weeds, pests and other diseases. Farmers can also benefit from the modified foods. GMO’s can allow farmers to plant more crops on less land, and because many plants have built in weed control farmers use less money and machinery to spray these crops with as much pesticides, which is also safer for humans to consume you don't have to worry about how

GM foods are in the middle of many controversial issues; primarily these are addressed by conflicts over the relative pros and cons of GM foods. Major biotech companies like ‘Monsanto ' and ‘Cargill ' are promoting GM foods by focusing only on their beneficial aspects, giving least importance to their negative effects on safety, environment and biodiversity. On the other hand, governmental regulators and nongovernmental organizations, along with some scientists, are strictly opposing this type of blind promotion of GM food by enlightening the people on their negative effects The controversies associated with GM foods include issues such as safety, environmental benefits and risks, biodiversity, and ethical and social considerations.GM foods are implicated for adverse human health risks like people being allergic to it, environmental hazards such as development of super weeds, and pesticide and antibiotic resistance in disease causing organisms. On the other

So why do we use GMOs? Well there is a “So-called advantage” with these products that it costs less to produce and they are better quality. But do we know if they’re better quality or our bodies? There’s not enough research to prove that the human race and other organisms have suffered dire consequences from consuming these genetically engineered foods. However there are some linkages that link GMOs to some health problems, environmental damage, and farmer/consumer rights.

While the agricultural world is working hard to make positive influences on more efficient farming, individuals have treated GMO’s as a negative alteration in their produce. Farmers and researchers in the agricultural world claim no harm can be done by them. GMO’s have not yet been proven to be harmful to humans and have, in fac,t had a positive impact on the food industry today.

In order for a person to make a smart logical decision regarding a pro or anti-GMO position one must understand what a GMO is. A plant that is genetically modified and then the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of one plant is forced into another kind of plant to be considered a GMO. This process takes place in a laboratory. It is not limited to just plants. Animals can also be modified. Viruses, insects, bacteria, humans, and animals can all supply the foreign DNA. Some researchers also refer to the process as Genetic Engineering(GE) (10 Reasons”).

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 major reasons for the use of GMOs was stated by Chris Black, a plant science major and owner of Richland Plant Food Company. When Mr. Black was asked the question, “Why do farmers now use GMOs when growing crops”, he said “It really helps the everyday farmer with economics and efficiency. Since the US population is always increasing, GMOs have made a cheaper food source to the American Market.” Mr. Black also stated that “It also helps farmers save thousands of dollars in insecticide and herbicide cost that can become overwhelming, because many of the GMO seeds now have this trait. Plus Genetically Engineered crops are more environmentally friendly than organic crops, because they require less water than organic

The word GM foods or sometimes labeled GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is created for human and/or animal use by using the most advanced molecular biology procedures. The plants

The term GM food are most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Genetically modified plants have been widely publicised as the future in agriculture. Many believe that it may help improve crop harvests and farm productivity by developing genetically modified crops that can either resist pests or chemicals. But despite the promise that GM crops may offer, there are still doubts that linger among a number of people as well.

Antoniou, M., Robinson, C., & Fagan, J. (2012, June). GMO Myths and Truths. In Institute of Responsible Technology. Retrieved from http://responsibletechnology.org/media/docs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf

A GMO expert at the University of Arizona, named Yves Carriere, explained in an article that, “Carriere argues that bug-killing crops are beneficial because they reduce the use of insecticides, which can harm people and the environment,” (Potenza 2). With genetically modified crops, farmers no longer have to use harmful chemicals, such as insecticides. He also pointed out that, “Developing crops that can survive dry climates, others say, could help us grow food as climate change makes the planet more prone to droughts,” (Potenza 2). For example, places like California could benefit a lot more if people could grow and sell GMO’s.

However, these risks are purely speculative: 81 separate studies costing approximately $65 million have been conducted by the European Commission alone and have shown no evidence of any risk linked to GM foods (1). Indeed, the U.S. has concluded that the risk of GM crops is minimal. As a result, in the U.S., genetically altered crops accounted for 93% of planted soybeans and cotton and 86% of corn in 2009. (2). Considering the success and benefits of GM crops in America, developing countries have followed suit. In 2009, India planted 84,000 square kilometers of genetically modified cotton, and Brazil planted 214,000 square kilometers of GM soybeans, a 26% increase from the year before (3). Like the U.S., these countries conducted a risk-benefit analysis and concluded that the economic, health, and food surplus benefits of GM crops offset the unproven risks (4). Thus, agricultural biotechnology is being implemented in farming techniques throughout the world.

I am going to take the position of For GMOs for Africa. I think that GMOs could benefit the African continent exponentially. With their extreme expected increase in population and decrease in yield from their current crops there has to be an alternate solution. According to the Genetic Literacy Project, “Without a sharp increase in food production, Africa faces a future of increased malnutrition and reliance on food imports to feed it’s growing population. (Cerier, 2017)”. With the crops being insect resistant as well as some are fortified with different proteins and vitamins the GM crops have the potential to cut down malnutrition by a significant margin if the techniques can be universally adopted. Another big concern that GMOs can help fight is the ever changing climate and the implications of unknown growing

“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.