|  | Diet Nutrition | Nutrition

Advantages of GMO Technology

Genetically modified organisms are crops or animals whose DNA has been genetically modified to obtain a beneficial trait, such as pesticide resistance or increased yield. The first genetically modified crops were introduced into the food supply in the 1990s primarily by the company Monsanto. Many agricultural biotechnology companies believe GMO technology is the solution to world hunger, especially as the world's population increases to 10.1 billion people by the end of the century. Many environmentalists are concerned about the possible negative environmental effects of GMOs, but there are still arguably many advantages of GMO technology.

  1. Decreased Pesticide Use

    • Using genetically modified crops can help decrease the amount of pesticides a farmer needs to spray. This is because genes can be inserted into the DNA of crops that produces the protein version of the same insecticide. One perfect example is Bt corn. The creation of Bt corn involves taking a gene from a naturally existing soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis and inserting it into the DNA of natural corn. The gene taken from the bacterium produces a protein called Bt delta endotoxin that kills the European corn borer, a common pest that destroys corn harvests. Farmers commonly grow Bt corn instead of regular corn because it drastically reduces the need for pesticides. This helps the farmers save money and makes their crops more attractive to consumers who may not want to buy crops sprayed with pesticides.

    Increased Yield

    • Another advantage of using GMO technology is that GM crops sometimes provide farmers with higher yields. For example, poor farmers in India have used Bt cotton and obtained between 80 and 90 percent higher yields than non-GM cotton, according to BBC News. The increase yields occurred because the pesticide produced by the Bt cotton killed the bollworm, a common pest that affects non-GM cotton. However, some environmentalists are concerned over what long-term effects Bt cotton will have on the environment.

    Nutrition

    • GMO technology has helped fight malnutrition in many countries in the developing world by genetically engineering crops to produce more of certain vitamins. For example, golden rice is a genetically engineered strain of rice that has been genetically engineered to produce high levels of vitamin A. The World Health Organization has stated that vitamin A deficiency affects more than 230 million children around the world and one million children die each year because of vitamin A deficiency. Golden rice has been used by rice farmers in developing countries to help fight against vitamin A deficiency.

    Potentially Decreased Cost

    • GM crops are arguably cheaper to grow than non-GM crops because farmers have to purchase less pesticides. This may help farmers in the developing world who don't have enough money to purchase expensive pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Nutrition - Related Articles