GS Paper III
News Excerpt:
This article presents an overview of GM crops and assesses their potential to ensure food security.
What is GMO:
- Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are species (such as plants, animals, or microbes) whose genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally through mating and/or recombination.
History of GM Crops:
- The onset of a new "gene revolution" is being hailed as a solution to the increasing global demand for food amidst climate-affected agricultural systems.
- For centuries, farmers have crossbred fruits, grains, and vegetables to produce tastier or higher-yielding hybrids.
- However, it wasn't until the 1970s that scientists began using bioengineering to transfer genes between organisms, resulting in "transgenic" crops.
- When genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were introduced in the 1990s, they were often referred to as Frankenstein foods.
- Public resistance stemmed from ongoing fears about their safety, despite long-term studies affirming that consuming GMOs is as safe as eating conventional varieties.
- In the 2020s, a new phase of the gene revolution emerged, where DNA can be "edited" without inserting genes from different organisms.
Need of GM Crops:
- This advancement is strengthening the biotech industry's claims that it can provide food security for a global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
- The World Economic Forum (WEF), a strong supporter of GM technology, highlights research into new strains of rice, maize, wheat, potato, and cassava.
- These innovations aim to help these crucial staples withstand extreme weather and emerging climate-induced diseases in a warming world.
- The WEF also notes that the latest bioengineering technologies assist plants and soils in capturing and storing atmospheric carbon.
- One U.S.-based project is optimizing photosynthesis in crops like maize and rice, enabling them to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide more efficiently into energy, thereby improving yields and reducing atmospheric carbon.
Argument against GM Crops:
- However, many scientists and environmental activists dispute the notion that GM crops can guarantee food security or mitigate the effects of climate-induced droughts and floods on agriculture.
- Current food systems generate about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, with over half of the U.S. harvested cropland using genetically modified seeds.
- GMOs often lead to large-scale monocultures requiring substantial amounts of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation, making the system highly energy-intensive.
- This system has failed to feed significant portions of the global population, with at least 250 million people in nearly 60 countries experiencing crisis-level food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
- In the Philippines, criticism of GMOs led to a successful campaign to place GM golden rice and eggplant under a production moratorium in April.
- Golden rice, genetically modified with maize protein to produce beta-carotene for added vitamin A, was approved for cultivation in 2021.
- The court upheld the ban, emphasizing the "need to uphold the constitutional right to health and a healthful ecology,".
- Agricultural science researchers have also raised concerns about the risk assessment of GM cowpea developed by Australian researchers, approved for cultivation in Nigeria. They worry that the transgenic plants' toxin meant to protect against pests might pose safety risks due to "enhanced toxicity."
Are GM Food Safe?
- As per World Health Organization (WHO) different GM organisms include different genes inserted in different ways. This means that individual GM foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods.
- GM foods currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health.
Conclusion:
Sustainable agriculture should prioritize toxic-free food production and the nurturing of biodiverse ecosystems capable of resisting and mitigating climate change.
