Genetically Modified Crops : A New Breakthrough Of The Agricultural Industry

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 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

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

By the year 2012, over 70 percent of the processed foods in the U.S can be linked to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Despite this strong dependency on the manipulation of genetic material, there are many questions concerning long-lasting impacts such food could bring. The government of the United States of America should enforce stricter restrictions on the consumption, production, and availability of food products containing genetically modified organisms. Genetically engineered foods have detrimental impacts on the environment, are linked to large, monopolizing industries, and do not reduce world hunger.

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.

“In a sweeping 400-page report, the country’s top scientific group found there was not evidence to support claims that genetically modified organisms are dangerous for either the environment or human health” (Heikkinen, 2016). Even Europe, a country that does not use this technology has proven that GMOs are a safe food source. “There is a scientific consensus, even in Europe, that the GMO foods and crops currently on the market have brought no documented new risks either to human health or to the environment” (Paarlberg, 2010). The biggest argument against GMOs would be that they are not safe to humans or the environment, but there has not yet been any documented evidence that approved GMOs have brought on new risks either to humans, animals or the environment (Paarlberg, 2010). Along with being scientifically proven numerous times to be a safe food source, there is also no confirmation that GMOs pose any risk to humans, animals, or the environment. “The central issue with GM crops is that because there are no concrete adverse effects for people to quantify, they can only focus on theoretical and largely unquantifiable ones” (Buiatti, Christou, & Pastore, 2013). Hundreds of experts have all concluded that GMOs have not presented any new risks to humans. “The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris organized a conference with 400 expert

Presently there is no scientific evidence to support that GMOs are inherently bad, despite more than 30 years and thousands of studies that were conducted. The population is growing and Policy should lead to the development of regulatory frameworks that minimize the number of new data requirements and maximize the value of existing

Today, most soy and corn grown in the U.S. is Genetically Modified. Soy and corn are also the number one feed for the animals that we eat. Corn also provides the ingredients for most of our sweeteners and cooking oil. Most processed foods sold in the United States have ingredients from genetically modified crops. And yet, “Scientific Studies have not concluded that Genetically Modified foods are safe for the population” (Eating Well. “Should the US ban GMOs?”). The major question that has developed with GMOs is whether or not these modification in the plants we consume is detrimental to our own health. Are we trading higher crop yields for personal health risks? Are we replacing possible starvation with another form of disease or health problem? And, “Should GMOs be allowed in the General Food Supply?”

As GMOs are a fairly new invention in the scope of things and we have no real idea of the long term health damage being caused we need to be vigilant. Many effects from GMOs are just now being realized, bees and other beneficial insects are dying at alarming rates because of exposure to GMO pollen.A study showed a clear link between GMO plants and the use of Round-up which in turn was shown to cause bees kidneys to fail (Amos). Yet in another rats were shown to develop tumors at very high rates and earlier than they would naturally when fed on GMO maize (Séralini).Though the study was retracted the researchers said it was only at the insistence of Monsanto and they stand by their findings (de Vendômois JS).We know that Genetically Modified Organisms are bad for the environment, for many reasons. For instance when organisms are injected with the DNA of another organism it reduces biodiversity, and thus we run the risk of extinction of the original plant organism.Also seeds from GMO crops like Monsanto’s canola mix with weeds which then become herbicide tolerant, and can smother out good crops.

Through scientific research there have been no substantial findings of harmful side effects on eating foods that have been genetically modified. In his article,” National Academy of Sciences Report on GMOs”, Steven Novella states that “It is especially compelling that over the last two decades, animals and humans exposed to GMOs have not experienced any relative increase in any major disease” (Novella). With over 20 years of observations and conclusions, there has been no evidence to support the argument that GMOs are harmful to humans or animals. Furthermore, Alan McHughen, in his article, “A Path Forward”, says “Every major scientific body in the U.S. and around the world has reviewed independent research related to GM crops and food and has concluded they are as safe as food and crops developed from other methods in use today” (McHughen). Thousands of reports and findings

When it comes to the topic of whether Genetic Modified Organisms (GMOs) are hazardous products for human consumption, some of us will readily agree that GMOs have become an issue since people believe they are a risk to their health. Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of are GMOs a risk to our health and if so why are they still out in the market. Whereas some are convinced that GMOs are not a potential risk to our health and they are an improvement to the production of crops, others maintain that GMOs are unsafe and are the cause for several diseases. I agree that GMOs are safe for human consumption because we have been using GMOs for the last twenty years and there is no proof of them being a hazard to humans. Since the day we started using GMOs there has been an improvement on the production of crops and

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.

Since their first moment on shelves in 1994, the safety of GMOs has been a controversial topic. GMOs or genetically modified organisms are ‘advanced’ organisms created by scientists taking helpful fragments of other species DNA and inserting into the DNA stream of another organism. GMOs have created tomatoes that don't freeze in the winter, and apple that cannot become brown, but at what cost? Citizens have voiced their concerns regarding modifying natural plants and after research overall, it became clear that GMOs are harmful to other organisms. GMOs have been linked to bacterial infections, and very severe consequences like chronic conditions and birth defects, which most likely coincides with the rapidly increasing amount of dangerous

In today’s corporate structure, the number one responsibility for many corporations is to bring great returns to their shareholders. The same holds true in agricultural corporations which, leads to the search for any advances which, may increase their profit margin. A large part of agricultural advances that lead to a great financial aspect is genetically modified organisms. Though it increases profit for agricultural corporations and stimulates our economy, our health is at a much greater risk. The GM proponents claim that GMOs provide more nutritional value although, health issues have been proven to increase since the development of genetically modified food. Moving forward, many people are becoming aware of these GMOs in our food and the harmful effects they can have on our health, bringing this awareness to the government.

Genetically modified organisms also called GMO are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. The GMO is segmented into two groups: first group is high-risk because they are commercial products, second is monitored- risk because it is suspected or known incidents of contamination have occurred and/or the crops have genetically modified relatives in commercial production with which cross-pollination (and consequently contamination) is possible, and it’s not healthy for humans. Genetically modified organisms is a nicer word for processed foods, making it unhealthy for human bodies and harder for the body to break down food. GMO products are high-risk and monitored –risk and it is very unhealthy for humans ( Goldbas, A. (2014).