What are genetically modified crops?
Vitamin-A deficiency causes blindness in 500,000 children and kills 2,000,000 more every year in third world countries. A problem as menacing as this warrants a solution like no other: genetically engineered foods. The idea behind genetically modified (GM) foods revolves around a fundamental truth of Biology; all living things utilize DNA found in the nucleus of a cell. The process of manufacturing GM foods is relatively simple: isolate a wanted gene, specialize the gene, clone it, and finally insert the genes into the nuclei of the plant seed cells. Explore this page to learn about the immense potential benefits that can be achieved with genetically modified crops, the history of biotechnology, and it's pioneers.
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Who benefits from genetically modified crops?
The largest enthusiasts of GM foods are those who reap the most benefits – farmers. Ray Bressan, a professor of horticulture, explains: "We'll soon be able to produce more crops with less pesticide, less fuel, less fertilizer, fewer trips over the field. We'll produce much more with much less. By altering crops to manufacture specific proteins, it is possible to create a crop that outshines in resiliency or yield; farmers will be able to produce food at a more rapid pace with greater results and grocery food prices will fall as a result. Under modern agriculture without the use of GM seeds, average crop losses caused by pests are measured at 25% for rice, 50% for seed cotton, and 20% for sugarcane. In the Philippines, insect resistant corn has brought a 24% increase in yield on average. Insects and pests are the bane of the modern farmer. Fortunately, they can be successfully combated with GM crops.
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A Pre-existing Method
(selective breeding)
Biotechnology is the genetic manipulation of an organism in the effort to produce a new, efficient, productive organism. Often times, it is a never ending quest for perfection. Humans have been slowly manipulating the genes of their crops since the beginning of the agricultural revolution through a process called "selective breeding". This process involves the continuous and selective breeding of plants that only carry specifically desires traits. As you might think, the most desirable trait in plants for humans is those of size and taste. Our ancestors most benefited from plants that contained lots of food, so they selectively bred the largest and tastiest plants. The maize crop is one obvious example of this process. The plant to the left is what corn would look like before selective breeding. The modern corn, pictured to the right, is a result of many years of careful selective breeding.
Using modern biotechnological techniques, we can achieve the same results in a fraction of the time. It is no longer necessary for us to wait thousands of years to improve our crops when we can do it within days in our laboratories.
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