For hundreds of years, farmers have been observing their crops through generations and utilizing the benefits of selective breeding to achieve desired results. Historically, this was done by simply choosing which organisms are allowed to reproduce, but recent developments in food science have produced Genetically Modified Organisms. Some find the process of physically rearranging genes to be frightening and unacceptable, while others fully embrace GMOs as the natural next step in future technology. The GMO debate is widely participated in, from laboratories to universities to government to the average home. During a classroom debate in Biology, I was assigned to the pro-GMO team. In actuality, I do not have a strong opinion in either direction.
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According to the USDA, more than a quarter of America 's diet relies on pollination by honeybees. When flower pollen and plants are genetically modified, bees could become malnourished and die due to “the lack of nutrients and the interruption of the digestive capacity of what they feed on through the summer and over the winter hibernation process” (Amos, 2011). A few sources such as snopes.com, seattleorganicrestaurants.com, and naturalsociety.com have published stories suggesting that 37 million bees dropped dead in Canada due to a large GMO cornfield being planted. However, research has proven that this was the fault of systemic pesticides produced by large companies Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, and not the fault of genetic modification (Henein, 2014). GM crops or not, the rate of bee deaths has almost tripled since 2006 due to a condition called CCD, or colony collapse disorder (Casey, 2015). These vital insects must be protected and preserved, and if genetic modification hinders this cause then it is a very convincing argument for termination of the …show more content…
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world’s food production will have to increase 70 percent by 2050. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2009). It can be argued that GM crops are more fulfilling, which lessens the need to clear more forests and create more farming space (Naam, 2014). Also according to FAO.org, and IRRI.org, corn and sugarcane grow twice as much food per acre as rice and wheat because they have a better way of doing photosynthesis. A newer system introduced by genetic modification, called C4 photosynthesis, could increase production of rice and wheat by 50 percent more food per acre (IRRI, 2012). People are not hungry simply because they are poor, they are hungry because they cannot grow enough food. However, with over 60 countries that have banned GM foods (Non GMO Project, 2016), it may be difficult or impossible to deliver these crops to poor
According to the USDA, more than a quarter of America 's diet relies on pollination by honeybees. When flower pollen and plants are genetically modified, bees could become malnourished and die due to “the lack of nutrients and the interruption of the digestive capacity of what they feed on through the summer and over the winter hibernation process” (Amos, 2011). A few sources such as snopes.com, seattleorganicrestaurants.com, and naturalsociety.com have published stories suggesting that 37 million bees dropped dead in Canada due to a large GMO cornfield being planted. However, research has proven that this was the fault of systemic pesticides produced by large companies Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, and not the fault of genetic modification (Henein, 2014). GM crops or not, the rate of bee deaths has almost tripled since 2006 due to a condition called CCD, or colony collapse disorder (Casey, 2015). These vital insects must be protected and preserved, and if genetic modification hinders this cause then it is a very convincing argument for termination of the …show more content…
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world’s food production will have to increase 70 percent by 2050. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2009). It can be argued that GM crops are more fulfilling, which lessens the need to clear more forests and create more farming space (Naam, 2014). Also according to FAO.org, and IRRI.org, corn and sugarcane grow twice as much food per acre as rice and wheat because they have a better way of doing photosynthesis. A newer system introduced by genetic modification, called C4 photosynthesis, could increase production of rice and wheat by 50 percent more food per acre (IRRI, 2012). People are not hungry simply because they are poor, they are hungry because they cannot grow enough food. However, with over 60 countries that have banned GM foods (Non GMO Project, 2016), it may be difficult or impossible to deliver these crops to poor