Netizen

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Genetically Modified Crops: Overall Positive

GloFish fluorescent fish. Genetically modified. Danio rerio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Going through the early versions of a computer operating system would generate less controversy than the early versions of genetically modified food, but if done right, I think GMOs will ultimately prevail for the larger good. But it is not enough to get the final product right. We also have to make the product right and participatory. People have a right to know what's going on.

Genetic modification is what happens all the time in nature. That is what the theory of evolution is based upon. Human intervention can not be all that evil.

Genetically modified crops: Field research

the largest review yet conducted of the crops’ effects on farming. It concludes that these have been overwhelmingly positive....... all examinations of the agronomic and economic impacts of GM crops published in English between 1995 and March 2014 ..... Commercial genetic modification for crops comes in two forms. One makes them resistant to insect pests. The other confers tolerance to glyphosate, enabling farmers to spray their fields with this herbicide and kill off all the other plants (ie, the weeds) in them. ..... With both forms of modification, however, the yield rise was so great (9% above non-GM crops for herbicide tolerance and 25% above for insect resistance) that farmers who adopted GM crops made 69% higher profits than those who did not. ...... GM crops do even better in poor countries than in rich ones. Farmers in developing nations who use the technology achieve yields 14 percentage points above those of GM farmers in the rich world. Pests and weeds are a bigger problem in poor countries, so GM confers bigger benefits. .... who pays for a study does not seem to influence its results.