The world population increased more than 300% over the 20th century, and whilst rates of increase have slowed annually to approximately 83 million or 1%, the growth is not uniform. For example, population growth in developing countries such as Africa and Asia, is estimated by the United Nations at between 4 and 6%, compared to between 1 and 2% for Europe and North America.
World health is improving and consequently life expectancy is increasing; as the global population increases at unprecedented rates, the demand for food is beginning to outweigh supply. Compounding this problem is the fact that like population growth, food production worldwide is imbalanced. Extreme weather, wars and other geopolitical shocks, have resulted in food crises’ …show more content…
Despite their very real benefits, GM crops are subject to much ill founded and often unfair opposition, particularly from more developed countries, where population growth is stable, and food shortages rare. This is evidenced by the fact that growing GM crops is banned in the majority of EU countries, although conversely importing GM products, mainly for animal feed, is not. Removing the stigma around the cultivation of GM crops, particularly in developed countries, could help eliminate worldwide food …show more content…
The significant reduction in the number of American Monarch butterflies since the introduction of GM crops in the 1990’s does seem to evidence this, since it has now been found that the herbicide glyphosate which is used in GM farming, kills the weeds that the butterflies need to lay their eggs on. The loss of biodiversity is undoubtedly concerning. Ultimately though, a moral and political choice has to be made about priority, and whether feeding a struggling human population is more or less important than preserving ecosystems.
It is clear that there is a very real need for a global agricultural boost to meet the food requirement resulting from expansion of the world’s population. GM crops which are capable of boosting yield and reliability have played, and continue to play a vital part in increasing food production, and in developing countries in particular, have preventing famine and literally saved millions of lives. In other more developed countries such as the USA, GM crops have been used to boost yield, with the result being that food prices have remained at lower, more affordable levels than would otherwise have been
World health is improving and consequently life expectancy is increasing; as the global population increases at unprecedented rates, the demand for food is beginning to outweigh supply. Compounding this problem is the fact that like population growth, food production worldwide is imbalanced. Extreme weather, wars and other geopolitical shocks, have resulted in food crises’ …show more content…
Despite their very real benefits, GM crops are subject to much ill founded and often unfair opposition, particularly from more developed countries, where population growth is stable, and food shortages rare. This is evidenced by the fact that growing GM crops is banned in the majority of EU countries, although conversely importing GM products, mainly for animal feed, is not. Removing the stigma around the cultivation of GM crops, particularly in developed countries, could help eliminate worldwide food …show more content…
The significant reduction in the number of American Monarch butterflies since the introduction of GM crops in the 1990’s does seem to evidence this, since it has now been found that the herbicide glyphosate which is used in GM farming, kills the weeds that the butterflies need to lay their eggs on. The loss of biodiversity is undoubtedly concerning. Ultimately though, a moral and political choice has to be made about priority, and whether feeding a struggling human population is more or less important than preserving ecosystems.
It is clear that there is a very real need for a global agricultural boost to meet the food requirement resulting from expansion of the world’s population. GM crops which are capable of boosting yield and reliability have played, and continue to play a vital part in increasing food production, and in developing countries in particular, have preventing famine and literally saved millions of lives. In other more developed countries such as the USA, GM crops have been used to boost yield, with the result being that food prices have remained at lower, more affordable levels than would otherwise have been