The debate on genetically modified organisms is a big topic and heated on either side. Genetically modified organisms should not be hated on, instead supported by citizens because they are the answer to the future of solving world hunger. GMO’s increase the yield of crops grown and, at the same time, safe for human consumption. With the world population growing at the rate it is today, GMO’s are essential when talking about the future of the world and solving the threat of world hunger but, scientists and farmers still need to be cautious of the unknowns that arise with GMO’s. What is their long term effects on the earth and what people are using them for? GMO’s increase the yield of crops grown by farmers greatly, and provide the world with …show more content…
According to a survey done in 2015, “Nearly 9 out of 10 scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science say GMOs are "generally safe" to eat. Though if you're like more than half of U.S. adults from the general public in that same survey, you think you probably shouldn't eat them” (Siegel and Verity). There are many reasons people believe they should not be consuming GMO’s from them, having too many chemicals used on them when they are grown, to them not being “organic” and genetically altered, or not being as healthy as non-genetically modified organisms. But those beliefs are not true. GMO’s are still the same plant but with one or two added or deleted genes to make them fit the profile scientists are looking for. Thus, making them still have all of the nutrience they started with if not …show more content…
Now, that is a lot of people to feed! Right now, with a world population of around 7 billion, 1 in 9 people suffer from malnutrition because of the lack of food available to them (Pratta and Reuters; “2016 World Hunger”). Feeding the growing population is going to continue to become a growing problem as we expand housing and using arable land previously used for growing crops. From 2002 to 2012 over 73 million acres of arable land was lost (“2016 World Hunger”). With the use of GMO’s, the yields produced by farmers can be dramatically increased resulting in less land needed to produce enough crop. Another problem arising is that the use of crops are being used for alternative reasons other than food consumption. With the use of ethanol, billions of bushels of corn are taken to the plants instead of processing plants for later food consumption. While some of the corn taken into ethanol plants reenter the feed market, only 12.2% of the total 27.3% of corn used reenter (Jessen). With the use of GMO crops people can help reduce the numbers of crop that could be used for food but it is instead used for biogases. Scientists can create specially modified crops to be targeted for biogasses. Syngenta, a major agribusiness that produces agrochemicals and seeds, have already created, and got approved, a GMO corn crop that is specialized for ethanol production.
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 are simply an addition to the long list of alterations made to the balance of nature. At its surface, GMO's seem to represent food as it's meant to look ripe, shiny, and never corrupted by pests, and these claims aren't wrong. GMO's bring a variety of benefits to the table. They increase resistance to cold, protect from select pests, and can even be used to transfer vital nutrients to other organisms. Various regions, such as Eastern Asia, have greatly benefitted from the use of GMO's, as prominent food, such as rice, lack nutrients necessary for growth and survival. GMO's have also helped farmers grow crops with more ease and less expense. However, these GMO's pack a price. Genes can be transferred to unintended targets, and pests who grow resistant to these GMO's may breed, causing an epidemic. Moreover, scientists believe that the
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
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.
The obvious question for GMOs is are they safe? The answer to that is unknown. One of the main problems with genetic engineering is that the process of inserting genes into the DNA of a food plant is random; scientist have no idea where the genes go(). Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in tumors, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, birth defects, reproductive problems and infertility (Kids Right To Know). Everyone is simply
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
It is possible that the largest threat to our world today is over population. The human population has tripled in the past 50 years, and projections show no stop to this rapid growth in the future. By the year 2050, the population could reach 9 billion people (PRB). With such rapid growth, the food industry must find a way to overcome the adversity of such crippling demand, and many scientist believe GMOs hold the key to this critical issue. The population needs to be fed without further degrading the natural resources the Earth still has, while dealing with challenges brought on by global warming and pollution like soil salinity, plant disease, and exacerbated droughts. To combat this, scientists are engineering crops to combat these ecological
Many people ask the question “Are GMO’s safe for human consumption”? Well as a matter afact yes they are safe for consumption, but there are some down sides. When reading about a healthy diet we are often told/ read that we need to stick to organic products, Genetically Modified Foods aren’t
GMOs can help feed the future. The reasoning for this is because GMOs are capable of surviving the harsh conditions of the environment, so farmers have the capability to preserve water and energy in order to feed the future. Furthermore the article “GMOs and the Environment” mentions that “the total land devoted to agriculture around the globe is 20,000,000 square miles. That’s more than five times the area of the united states. The availability of farmland is essential to agricultural production. And yet, the availability of new land suitable for crop production is limited”(3). This key information shows the true importance of agriculture land and how this land will play a vital role ,but it is limited for the sheer fact that farmland is
GMO's and more specifically GM corn is a very beneficial route for humanity to take when it comes to the future of agriculture. With many benefits to not only those consuming but to the farmers producing them and even to less developed nations if exported and planted en masse, it could save hundreds of thousands from starvation. Now
A commonly discussed topic in the science community is the debate about GMOs and their application in our society. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are plants or animals modified with the process of genetic engineering. A process in which genes are taken from one species and artificially placed in another to create organisms with desirable traits. I you see a label on food products saying “GMO” then that means it was created with genetic modification. Although it is very uncertain, many people believe that eating GMOs can cause long-term illnesses, such as cancer. GMOs can affect countries and economies in many ways. For example, GM seeds can be very expensive, so if a country buys a lot, then they could lose money of the seeds have no effect. GMOs allow farmers to grow crops in low quality soil, which provides lifelines for farmers working with poor soil. GMOs can also lower the
Are most genetically modified organisms (GMOs) safe for human consumption? Genetically modified organisms are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This science creates unstable combinations of plant,animal, bacteria and viral genes that don’t occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Biotech and chemical companies such as Monsanto want us to believe that GMOs are safe and beneficial, but what do we really know about GMOs? Are they really safe for us to consume?
Our world is full of complications, situations that need people’s attention. Scientists are attempting to find answers for most of the world’s difficulties. Nevertheless, a solution for one problem creates some other obstacle. It becomes impossible to create a solution that does not have side effects. One of the difficult situations in this world is hunger and poverty. Many people lack enough food to live a healthy life, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. In order to provide sufficient food and maintain food security, scientists discovered genetically altered foods. Genetically engineered foods are grown from plants or animals whose genes are modified by inserting new genes that can increase the plant’s and animal’s resistance to diseases and worms. By doing so, researchers improve crop yield and animal products. In addition to increasing the amount of food produced, scientists enhance the nutritive content of crops by using biotechnology, which results in reducing malnutrition. Furthermore, some investigators claim the environmental importance of
Genetically Modified Organisms in the food supply are not the answer to curing world hunger. Genetically modified foods are being produced day in and day out, but there has been nothing done to terminate world hunger. Moreover, the world has a surplus amount of food, but still, people are hungry, making the problem, not one of quantity but one of distribution. However, healthy food is expensive, the average yearly income in underdeveloped countries averages less than $1,000 per year. Proponents of Genetically modified foods say that GMO’s the same as other foods except they are manufactured with different chemicals that adjust them to grow faster and to grow more. The biotech companies have invested billions of dollars they determine that this technology will have the potential for enormous profit and the means to gain control over world hunger. If they truthfully wanted to help stop world hunger why not spend the billions of dollars on the actual problem itself rather than on the technology for genetically modified foods that may or may not help with the problem.
There has been a lot of speculation over the hot topic GMOs and whether or not they are actually safe for indulgence. GMOs is the acronym for Genetically Modified Organisms. It is when something primarily organic foods by using the means of genetic engineering. GMOs are in most ways good for the planet and for those who dwell on it. In fact, scientists have concluded that Improved food quality is another benefit associated with GM foods. A tomato, for instance, can be engineered to stay fresher for longer, thereby extending its shelf life in the supermarket. Food durability will be improved. On the other hand other sources say that GMOs could potentially harm organisms in the ecosystem, do due to the fact it has very very strong chemicals. GMO foods is a very delicate topic, but in