GMOs Effect around the World
Agriculture is a large part of economic globalization and continues to be tested by the growing demand of the world’s population. With the global trade market expanding between the global north and global south, the agricultural institution has been attempting to utilize new technology to create crops that revolutionize the traditional and organic growing methods. The production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was created in order to offer a new way for farmers to increase crop yields while fighting the decrease in arable land, and continue the fight against crop diseases and pests with seeds modified to fight different growing conditions. Although the introduction of GMOs was first in the mid-1990’s, people …show more content…
Most people are familiar of the growing population rates in many countries, the increase of crop killing diseases and pests, and unpredictable weather conditions that farmers face every year. Scientists have found that modifying the right genes in common crops for farmers in the global north dealing with the growing population issue allows them to maintain or increase their yields despite the decrease in arable land. With the effects of greenhouse gases on global warming, weather conditions are even more unpredictable and result in stronger storm seasons that destroy many fields. Because of this, global north farmers are struggling because their conventional growing methods are unable to produce as much as they have prior. Based on studies done on the current demands of food, farmers will need a 42% increase in crop land by 2050 in order to keep up with the demand trend (Community Manager, 2016). With the population increase, meeting this in demand can be tough without advancements in the agricultural technology. Due to the uncertainty of weather conditions, pest conditions, etc., having the option to use GMO technology now allows farmers the certainty that despite the usual crop stresses, they can still meet the needs of consumers. In the global south, it is seen they have similar pressures we see in the global north. In areas of South Africa where Maize, grain used …show more content…
Depends on where one is to look when it comes to costs. In both the global north and south, a common case is that input costs are needing to rise in order to grow a GMO crop. Input costs include the use of pesticides, herbicides, machine maintenance to work on fields, etc. Another concern is whether the costs of the GMO seeds themselves would be unreasonably high given their purpose. In fact, high cost is not a major concern as one would think. Due to the advancements in the GMO technology, seeds can be modified to resist pests and weeds that commonly kill crops in specific areas. With this in mind, GMOs reduce the amount of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, farmers need to purchase in order to produce a decent crop yield. This results in less equipment needed that would usually provide these chemicals as well as less cost to the farmer to have these chemicals applied to the fields. Seed cost is a concern in the global south more so than the north due to needing to purchase new seed every year. However, with improvements on technology trade agreements, such as the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Monsanto provided, royalty-free, the GMO seeds by allowing them to be sold at the local market rate with local seed companies (Karanu, 2015). Farmers in poorer countries can receive the GMO seeds at reduced to almost no cost (Journal of
Agriculture is a large part of economic globalization and continues to be tested by the growing demand of the world’s population. With the global trade market expanding between the global north and global south, the agricultural institution has been attempting to utilize new technology to create crops that revolutionize the traditional and organic growing methods. The production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was created in order to offer a new way for farmers to increase crop yields while fighting the decrease in arable land, and continue the fight against crop diseases and pests with seeds modified to fight different growing conditions. Although the introduction of GMOs was first in the mid-1990’s, people …show more content…
Most people are familiar of the growing population rates in many countries, the increase of crop killing diseases and pests, and unpredictable weather conditions that farmers face every year. Scientists have found that modifying the right genes in common crops for farmers in the global north dealing with the growing population issue allows them to maintain or increase their yields despite the decrease in arable land. With the effects of greenhouse gases on global warming, weather conditions are even more unpredictable and result in stronger storm seasons that destroy many fields. Because of this, global north farmers are struggling because their conventional growing methods are unable to produce as much as they have prior. Based on studies done on the current demands of food, farmers will need a 42% increase in crop land by 2050 in order to keep up with the demand trend (Community Manager, 2016). With the population increase, meeting this in demand can be tough without advancements in the agricultural technology. Due to the uncertainty of weather conditions, pest conditions, etc., having the option to use GMO technology now allows farmers the certainty that despite the usual crop stresses, they can still meet the needs of consumers. In the global south, it is seen they have similar pressures we see in the global north. In areas of South Africa where Maize, grain used …show more content…
Depends on where one is to look when it comes to costs. In both the global north and south, a common case is that input costs are needing to rise in order to grow a GMO crop. Input costs include the use of pesticides, herbicides, machine maintenance to work on fields, etc. Another concern is whether the costs of the GMO seeds themselves would be unreasonably high given their purpose. In fact, high cost is not a major concern as one would think. Due to the advancements in the GMO technology, seeds can be modified to resist pests and weeds that commonly kill crops in specific areas. With this in mind, GMOs reduce the amount of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, farmers need to purchase in order to produce a decent crop yield. This results in less equipment needed that would usually provide these chemicals as well as less cost to the farmer to have these chemicals applied to the fields. Seed cost is a concern in the global south more so than the north due to needing to purchase new seed every year. However, with improvements on technology trade agreements, such as the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Monsanto provided, royalty-free, the GMO seeds by allowing them to be sold at the local market rate with local seed companies (Karanu, 2015). Farmers in poorer countries can receive the GMO seeds at reduced to almost no cost (Journal of