The Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Foods
723 Words3 Pages
1 Introduction
It is truly undeniable that in this age of science and technology, much like oxygen that our bodies are dependent on, we can never live without food. Food is not simply just a fuel to nourish our bodies to keep it functioning; it exists as the main source of livelihood for mankind. It is not a mere exaggeration to say that the backbone of such a livelihood is a country’s agricultural production. Agriculture, across the world, has been indispensable in the production of food crops which helps to ensure population growth, diversification and development of complex cities, etc. Hence, when it boils down to the two technologies, cloning and genetic modification, it has been a polarizing debate of which is better suited for agriculture.…show more content…
GM crops are grown almost on every continent to upsurge the proficiency of growing certain crops with higher yields as a way to counteract world hunger. The acreage of GM crops increasing worldwide (Refer to Appendix A) serves as a testament to the main objective of genetic modification; to produce crops and livestock that have valuable traits that do not occur naturally in a given…show more content…
Genetic modification proposes an idea such that fruits could be left to ripen on the vine or tree so that they have the flavor, but they will still be firm enough to dispatch without being damaged. Having such fruits would eradicate the need to pick fruits when they are unripe in order to get them to stores before they soften up. This helps to prolong their shelf life in the supermarkets.
4 Negative Consequences of Genetically Modified Food
The extensive cultivation of genetically modified food however raises many issues for society and the world as a whole. Some of the issues includes biodiversity issues and the welfare of animals.
4.1 Biodiversity Issues
Biodiversity denotes how many different varieties of plants and animals exist in a region. Conserving biodiversity is significant as different organisms prosper in various ecological conditions. Prevalent planting of genetically modified crops with more desirable traits such as greater yields and drought, disease or insect resistance will reduce biodiversity immensely and rework the food chain. For example, a study in UK involved aphids that consumed GM potatoes; the food was found to have an injurious effect on ladybirds that fed on aphids. This shows how insects that are not targets but still consume the crop are also
It is truly undeniable that in this age of science and technology, much like oxygen that our bodies are dependent on, we can never live without food. Food is not simply just a fuel to nourish our bodies to keep it functioning; it exists as the main source of livelihood for mankind. It is not a mere exaggeration to say that the backbone of such a livelihood is a country’s agricultural production. Agriculture, across the world, has been indispensable in the production of food crops which helps to ensure population growth, diversification and development of complex cities, etc. Hence, when it boils down to the two technologies, cloning and genetic modification, it has been a polarizing debate of which is better suited for agriculture.…show more content…
GM crops are grown almost on every continent to upsurge the proficiency of growing certain crops with higher yields as a way to counteract world hunger. The acreage of GM crops increasing worldwide (Refer to Appendix A) serves as a testament to the main objective of genetic modification; to produce crops and livestock that have valuable traits that do not occur naturally in a given…show more content…
Genetic modification proposes an idea such that fruits could be left to ripen on the vine or tree so that they have the flavor, but they will still be firm enough to dispatch without being damaged. Having such fruits would eradicate the need to pick fruits when they are unripe in order to get them to stores before they soften up. This helps to prolong their shelf life in the supermarkets.
4 Negative Consequences of Genetically Modified Food
The extensive cultivation of genetically modified food however raises many issues for society and the world as a whole. Some of the issues includes biodiversity issues and the welfare of animals.
4.1 Biodiversity Issues
Biodiversity denotes how many different varieties of plants and animals exist in a region. Conserving biodiversity is significant as different organisms prosper in various ecological conditions. Prevalent planting of genetically modified crops with more desirable traits such as greater yields and drought, disease or insect resistance will reduce biodiversity immensely and rework the food chain. For example, a study in UK involved aphids that consumed GM potatoes; the food was found to have an injurious effect on ladybirds that fed on aphids. This shows how insects that are not targets but still consume the crop are also
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