Genetically Modified food should not be banned

Food is the basic requirement for living, as more and more people need food while the population was increased every year, food is becoming an important issue in the world. The invention of Genetically Modified food is a reasonable solution to solve this issue. Therefore, the Genetically Modified food should not be banned for several reasons. In addition to the fact that Genetically Modified food already provides benefits to us, there are several considerable profits to agriculture, environment and human health.

Genetically Modified food should not be banned while they provide benefits to agriculture. The high productivity is creating by Genetically Modified food; the GM crops double the food yield by improves the pesticides and fertilizers in the crops. “the productivity gains from G.M. crops, as well as improved use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, allowed the world’s farmers to double global food output during the last 50 years, on roughly the some amount of land, at a time when global population rose more than 80percent.” (Prakash, C.S., Conko Gregory, 2004, p17)

The GM food not only improves the productivity, but it also put the insect resistance and weather resistance into the crops. “Examples include insect-resistance rice for Asia, virus-resistance sweet potato for Africa, and virus-resistance papaya for Caribbean nations.” (Prakash, C.S., Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). Compare to the traditional crops, GM crops can provide resistance to bugs and insect or virus-resistance, thus, the GM crops can grow well then the traditional crops. Because the GM crops have resistance to insect, farmers do not need use pesticide to their crops. Furthermore, using of GM crops can reduce the damage from pesticide to the land, and protect environment.

Genetically Modified food has benefits to the environment when they provide advantage to agriculture. GM food can reducing the using of natural resources while they growing, such as water. “In 2000 alone, U.S. farmers growing bioengineered cotton used 2.4 million fewer gallons of fuel and 93 million fewer gallons of water, and were spared some 41,000 ten-hour days needed to apply pesticide.” (Prakash, C.S., Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). GM crops not only reduce the using of natural resources, but it also decreases the damage of farming land. “With potentially reduced environment consequence, such as reductions in agrochemical use, including pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.” (Schaal, Barbara, 2002, p110), the less herbicide used on land, the less damage that land have. In addition, the GM crops protected environment by reducing the using of natural resources and herbicide.

GM food provides benefits for human health, it not only decreases the negative effect, but it also proffers nutrition which human need. The indirect negative effect from pesticide is worked on human body, and it is damaged human health, “In China, where pesticide are typically sprayed on crops by hand, some 400 to 500 cotton farmers die every year from acute pesticide poisoning.” (Prakash, C.S., Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). Every year, people and farmers were dying from acute pesticide. However, GM crops contain the insect resistance which means farmer does not need acute pesticide to the crops. Therefore, GM food can provide advantage to human health by reduce pesticide need. GM food also can furnish nutrition that human require, “Among the most well known is Golden Rice-genetically enhanced with added beta carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in the human body.”. In next a few years, GM food will improve to provide further nutrition to benefit human health.

There people who oppose Genetically Modified food suspect that long-term effects are unknown. However, the Genetically Modified food have been investigated, there are no negative effect found on GM food on current market. “While traditionally developed foods are not generally tested for allergenicity, protocols for tests for GM foods have been evaluated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). (Campbell, Jonathan, 2006 p67). In addition, scientist still focus on develop Genetically Modified food to achieve more and more benefits to human. GM foods may give us a long-term effect, but it will not be find on the current market.

The opponents also consider that Genetically Modified food is not safe and it has negative effect on human health. Nevertheless, Genetically Modified foods on the international market have no risk for human heath. “GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.” (Campbell, Jonathan, 2006 p67) Thus, the GM foods will not provide a negative effect on human health.

Although Genetically Modified food is not used in every single country, Genetically Modified food is still the suitable solution to solve the food for hungry people. Furthermore, people will not banned Genetically Modified food, and stop the development. In the future, as Genetically Modified food will get more development, it will achieve further benefits to our agriculture, environment and human health.

Reference

Campbell, Jonathan. “Genetically Modified Organisms Production, Regulation, and Marketing.” International Debates, 4, 2006, 66-69.

Prakash, C.S., and Conko Gregory. “Technology for Life: How Biotech Will Save Billions From Starvation.” American Enterprise,15,2004,16-20.

Schaal, Barbara. “Genomics and Biotechnology in Agriculture.” The Genomic Revolution, 2002, 108-123.