One of the benefits of GMO maize’s is high nutritional values. Almost a half of the Kenya population do not have accessibility to a well-balanced meal. This is due to poverty and low productivity of agricultural foods. The introduction of GMO maize may provide solution to this problem since there is a possibility to inject the seeds with any nutrients (Bouis 2007). Research shows that there is a biotechnology rice that consist of iron and carotene. Considering the benefits of these nutrients to the human body there is a possibility to develop a maize variety with those nutrients or even more nutrients. This technology will helps Kenya to improve on the lives of people especially children (ibid). The expectations of every farmer is to have high productivity of high quality when it comes to their crops. However, due to bad weather conditions this has just been a mere dream for many small holders’ farmers. Biotechnology has developed some seedlings such as the “WEMA”that are water efficiency and can resist drought since they do not require a lot of water to grow (AATF-Africa. 2015). In addition, this kind of seedlings have been made with gene compositions that are from tough environment to make them possible to withstand and climatic conditions. The purpose of a such a move is to provide hope to the farmers from the dry regions where the normal maize seedlings are not able to give high output of products (Varshney et al. 2011). Other potential benefits of GMO maize in Kenya
Intellectualism has guided the progression of humanity since the advent of civilization. Academia has provided a venue for the greatest minds in history to gather and discuss ideas, promoting truth. This defines the liberal arts - the inexorable expansion of the collective human conscious for the betterment of culture, science, and philosophy through intellectual discourse.
What is a GMO? A genetically modified organism that has had its DNA altered or modified in some way through genetic engineering (Lallanilla). Most GMOS are modified from another organism. These organisms could be an animal, virus, bacterium, or a plant. They are called "transgenic" organisms.
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
Within only one year, there has been a 15.6 million increase in acres of genetically modified crops grown worldwide. It comes to question that such a popularity boom in using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) would be linked to their benefits. Many food labels claim to be rid of GMOs, even though most American shoppers are not educated of what that exactly entails. Altering or replacing genes within a crop or livestock may seem dangerous; however, fruits are juicier, produce have longer fridge time, and livestock double in size in comparison to their previous generations. The Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) claims that a significant increase in health issues was seen after GMOs were introduced to the public, yet no viable research
To achieve this goal, I have organized my paper into four sections and two sub-sections. I will begin with and brief description and summary of GMO’s and the scientific consensus on the safety and efficacy of this technology, public opinion that contradicts the science community and the origins of misinformation. Next I will talk about why GMO’s are a major component in solving food insecurity, death, sickness and poverty. In the third section of this paper involves the efforts of green campaigners who undermine science and block GMO technology. To conclude, I will provide examples of the reality of food insecurity worldwide and highlight one significant area to focus resolution efforts, Golden Rice. I
Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug pushed the boundaries of conventional farming through biotechnology. He bred crops with desirable characteristics to manipulate the DNA. He is credited for saving billions of lives. This proves that a genetically modified crop or organism can be safe and can help conquer world hunger. This leads into how U.N. agencies discuss hunger crisis. “Essentially, biotechnology improves the characteristics and requirements of food crops through manipulation of plant DNA [deoxyribonucleic acid], or genetic engineering, creating a GMO. Such plants have better insect resistance and herbicide tolerance, and the sustainability of cultivation is increased by minimizing use of pesticides and fertilizers” (Weisser). This can change how we protect crops without using pesticides. Still scientist all over the world are looking for many ways to help world hunger. GMO’s are one of those ways. They are not as bad as people see them. One day GMO’s will save the
GMOs or genetically modified organisms are found in many different products. When testing to see if a product contains a GMO at the molecular level we look to see if it contains the cry1A gene, the significance of this gene is that it encodes a Bt-endotoxin which is deadly to pests that feed off of crops. In this experiment we tested corn-based products through a PCR reaction and gel electrophoresis to see if the samples contained both the maize invertase gene (ivr1) gene and the cry1A gene. In our experiment we were able to conclude that only one of our samples contained the cry1A gene and that all of them contained the invertase gene.
A genetically modified organism is simply an organism that, like any other organism, produces tens of thousands of proteins. The only difference is that one or two of them are proteins specifically selected by humans, generally in order to provide an agricultural or economical advantage.
People all around the world are still debating if gmo foods are beneficial or unbeneficial to us humans. These gmo foods were used 20 years ago and animal’s genes have moved from host to host from the beginning of time. In my opinion, I think that gmo foods are more beneficial to humans more than risks. Here are three reasons why gmo foods are beneficial to us.
Norman Borlaug once said, “Man 's survival, from the time of Adam and Eve until the invention of agriculture, must have been precarious because of his inability to ensure his food supply.” Throughout the history of mankind, the global food supply has become a battleground for politicians, scientists, and farmers. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have been in the spotlight throughout much of the last four decades, offering a viable solution to world hunger issues. It is through genetic engineering that scientists can achieve the creation of genetically modified crops, creating new crop varieties designed to yield more products with less inputs. Genetically modified foods offer numerous benefits, such as boosting our economy, eradicating hunger and malnutrition, and also provide a safe food source for a growing population. Genetically modified foods are economically viable, able to help ease world hunger issues and are in fact safe to eat.
Genetically improved crops are not a new phenomenon. Plants have been selectively crossbred for centuries to develop heartier and more productive hybrids. Now, Biotechnology offers us the ability to transfer desired traits into plants much faster and more selectively by merely transplanting the desired gene into the grain. Genetically Modified Grain (GMO grain) is now available to the public. It has the potential to
It will continue in the coming days. Despite this, general public is more or less unaware of the genetic modification, its advantages and disadvantages. Some people oppose genetic modification without knowing the information about genetic modification. They have emerging concerns for Genetic modifications associated with environmental hazard and human health. The genetically modified food like the insect resistant maize and herbicide tolerant soybean is in the US food market for almost 20 years with noteworthy advantages including reduced use of insecticides and herbicides, lessened labor costs and enhancement in food quality (Brookes & Barfoot, 2012). Day by day the number and amount of genetically modified food is increasing. The seeds and food plans are genetically modified for better production and tolerate adverse climate conditions. Sociocultural idiosyncrasies are different in different communities. Many countries within the European Union are reluctant invest time and effort to uplift genetic modification of food production. In the United States, most of the people accept genetically modified food without major concerns and a few other groups of people opposes genetically modified food (Zilberman, Kaplan, Kim, Hochman, & Graff, 2013). The global population is increasing and the crop fields are shrinking to accommodate the space for housing and industries. It is essential to increase food production by 70% by the year 2050 to feed increased number of population (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2009)). In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, lack of food causes increased malnutrition and mortality of infants. About 54% child mortality is linked with malnutrition in developing countries in 2001(World Health Organization, 2013). Shortage of food causes overall undernutrition and disease burden on the entire population. Feminine, poverty
Many people are does not know what genetic modified organism (GMO) mean or they may have only a vague idea of what it is. The terms genetic modified (GMO), genetic engineered (GE), and transgenic crops are used interchangeable. GMO is a process that altered the genetic make-up an organism through mutating, inserting or deleting genes by using genetic engineering or biotechnology (Goldbas, 2014). GE is not a natural process of life, for instant a scientist can take the gene of a fish or other animals and insert it into a fruits to create new species. This will never occur in nature. Some people may not be aware that in the United States, a great portion of the foods in supermarkets are GMO. According to Science Daily
Everyone has heard of genetically modified food. They have become so prominent in the United States and fill up a majority of our supermarkets. There has been controversy over the past few years on whether genetically modifying animals and crops is ethical and safe. But what a majority of Americans lack is knowledge of genetic engineering (GE). Many Americans hear the term genetically modified organism (GMO) and think it sounds scary or bad. They decide to be against the techniques of GE before actually doing any kind of research. Before you can say you are for or against GE, you must understand what GMOs are, advantages and disadvantages of GE, and why people are protesting the use of this process so much. We eat food from supermarkets every day and we should all be concerned with whether our food is safe or not.
There it lay, isolated, taunting me. My hand reluctantly slithered into the mailbox, like a frightened snake. My head told me the letter would not change anything, but my heart knew what it wanted. Nerves caused me to nearly lose my mind, as well as my lunch. I sliced the envelope to reveal my fate as well as place in the art program. As my eyes skimmed the text, they grew wide, my heart inflated, and my adrenaline seemed to turn from a boil to a simmer. The news? I was an art major. I am able to do what others cannot with a pencil and an imagination. Little did I know, the art major group would soon give me a new definition of community. I gave my ideas talent, time, and loyalty. I gave my all, and in return