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G M Oh No’s
Agriculture has been there from the beginning. The beginning, a nomadic-hunting and
gathering phase, evolved expansively into the massive monopolized beast of food production
that is known today. Because food is such an essential part of life, society has been in an
everlasting pursuit and competition to solidify the supply that is here, so that no person has to go
hungry.
After the age of the nomad, when people started moving closer together, they created
communities and settled down to raise their own food. Life expectancy and mortality rate shot up
and those series of events sent the population into an exponential climb: little communities grew
in size creating towns, cities, and soon whole new populations. With this expansive population
growth, people were still trying to learn the art of cultivating the land; a little too slowly.
Eventually, the population grew so large that economists and philosophers started to
question whether the agriculture at the time would be able to sustain the people. One of those
philosophers that started to worry, was named Thomas Malthus. Malthus was an economist and
demographer that came out with a theory. Within Frank W Elwell’s article, “Malthus’s
Population Principle Explained” he summarized what Malthus believed, stating that the
population-which grows exponentially- would surpass the amount of food-which grows
arithmetically. What Malthus, and other economists at the time did not foresee, was the
agricultural revolution which boosted food and its production into a heightened level. This
revolution, today, feeds eight billion people around the world. So, how has agriculture changed
from then to now? How have farms been able to exponentially increase their yield? Well, the
answer is genetically modified organisms: GMOs.
In current times, the majority of the population does not quite understand what exactly a
GMO really is. There are other terms which are commonly mistaken as a GMO like for example
in Leah Payne’s article, “GMO Update” she defines GMO as “foods that have had their genetic
material altered in any way - even through traditional breeding.”(pg. 82). She later states, “what
most people think a GMO is actually a genetically engineered product” (pg. 82). Many
abbreviations are used to separate genetically engineered products (GE), biologically engineered
products, and actual genetically modified organisms. Most of the controversy that stems from the
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biological engineering world is from the genetic engineering side. Within genetic engineering,
there are more of the cases of cloning, reproductive technologies, and other hot-topics. When
specifically discussing genetically modified organisms, there is far more testing and research that
has been done. By far the GMO technology is safer.
GMOs have completely changed the world, especially since they have been around for
centuries. In “Issues for Debate Risks and Benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms”, the
debate council delves deep into how biotechnologies have been around for centuries and the
influence it has had directly in every culture. Scientists have agreed that many benefits have been
given and that these organisms will continue to benefit the world. The potential in helping
developing countries, because GMOs are able create resistant genes, will help staple crops be
able to grow anywhere, in any condition. Biotechnologists want to keep GMOs in a free market,
so that it can be fair, without giving too much power to commercial companies (73). One of the
most important attributes of GMOs is their potential to help people in the world.
Being from a wealthy and independent country, citizens of the United States tend to
forget the high standard of living that a majority of the world’s population does not have. As
David Rottman states in his report, “Why We Will Need Genetically Modified Foods,” “plant
diseases annually destroy some 15% of the world’s agricultural harvest” (31). A majority of the
fifteen percent, which Rottman describes, is made up of the third-world and underdeveloped
countries. In those countries, there are incessant famines and harsh climates where people are
barely living and tend to starve to death due to the severe lack of food. Later in Rottman’s report
he relays that “genetic engineering has the potential to create varieties far better able to withstand
the onslaught”(31). Through GMOs and biotechnologist's ability to create disease and famine
resistant staple foods like corn, rice, and wheat; those third-world citizens can be able to feed and
sustain themselves, helping those countries to become more independent and self sufficient.
When there is a hope for something really good, of course there is just the same amount
of push back. This is the same case with GMOs. Unfortunately, because Genetic Engineering is a
relatively new concept to most people, the more controversial side of the technology has brought
more negative attention to the GMO side of things as well. In the “Issues for Debate” article they
stated that even with a majority of GMOs being very good, there are some that do present risks
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in regards to human health, care of the environment, and the lack of field testings because of the
increased demand. Elements regarding allergies, preserving biodiversity, and also the fear of
genes being transferred to weeds are all concerns facing the world of GMOs today.
A fear of the unknown is always something that each generation has to face eventually,
and all of these cons are viable points to a negative point of view on GMOs, but with all of the
pros or benefits, how can a society not see them as an asset? In the “Deconstructing ‘Genetically
Modified Organisms’” article they reinstate that “ humans have been practicing genetic
modification on plants and wild animals and consuming the resulting crops and livestock for
nearly 11,000 years” (22). This was demonstrated quite clearly during a personal interview with
Mrs. Alisha Neil, an agricultural teacher and FFA advisor at Herriman High School, while
talking about her family cow-calf operation.
Alisha Neil had attended Utah State University and studied animal husbandry while
there. When asked to describe animal husbandry, she said that it was the practice of selecting
animals to get a desired characteristic(s). An example she gave was in regards to meat cows. An
ideal meat steer, for today’s market, is broad and square. This shape gives the highest quality and
quantity of meat. So, in Neil’s example, if she was to have a really skinny cow, then she would
put in for semen from a large and square bull, to ideally breed a calf that is broad and square. As
simple as this sounds, in reality this is what a GMO is. By taking animals and selectively
breeding them to have an ideal shape or yield, society is creating a genetically modified
organism.
One thing that history has taught after its several millenium of time, is the idea of
evolution and innovation. The ideal of survival of the fittest or fastest or strongest has always
been on the platform for many genius minds. If mankind has been able to make changes and
genetically modify animals and crops for over eleven thousand years, how badly can this newest
innovation to the world of agriculture be? What if those new biotechnologies being studied today
are the world’s next ‘agricultural revolution’?
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Works Cited
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