GM foods, a biochemistry hazard or solution to feed developing countries?

philiposophy
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

Genetically modified(GM) crops have the potential to increase agricultural productivity, making crops resistant to pests and herbicides ,and produce foods with higher nutritional values.

Despite these benefits, environmentalists have raised a number of objections to the introduction of GM crops and foods. Few of these objections, however, have a solid basis in fact.

Firstly, environmentalists argue that GM crops are unnatural, and that by creating them we are altering the natural world. This argument is not convicting though, since all modern crops have been manipulated by selective breeding to be more productive than their natural ancestors and are therefore equally unnatural. What genetic modification seeks to do is modify crops in a more planned way than is possibly by merely selecting healthier seeds or by producing hybrids of successful plants.

A more worrying argument raised by objections to GM foods is that they could contribute a health risk, for example, by causing allergies or even by being toxic. Yet, there is little evidence to support this idea, because GM foods can have improved nutritional values, they are more likely to be of benefits than a risk.

The final objections is strictly environmental. It is argued that crops which are genetically modified to kill the pests which attack them may also kill harmless insects. This, it is claimed, will have a disastrous effect on the wilder environment beyond the crops themselves. On the contrary, since GM crops do not require spraying with toxic insecticides, environmental damage such as the contamination of local soils and rivers and the indiscriminate killing of insects is avoided.

In conclusion, GM crops offer increased agricultural productivity and foods of higher nutritional value, both of which are essential if the growing world population of the 21st century is to be fed. I am unconvinced that GM crops post a risk to the environment or our health. Indeed, these crops have the potential to improve the health of millions throughout the world while causing less environmental damage than standard farming methods used today. I think it is essential that, far from being prohibited, GM foods should be encouraged.

philiposophy

Travel/ read/ museums/ concerts, and all manner of outdoor activities are welcomed 重度旅遊規畫者、語言學習愛好(目前英德日義西, CSS, PHP),有時比學生還屁孩。愛看的電影是一級玩家

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade