The Effects of Genetic Engineering on Agriculture Agribiotechnology is the study of making altered agricultural products. Agribusiness is trying to alter the genes of already existing products to try to enhance the biocompetitiveness and adaptability of crops by enhancing plant resistance to drought, salinity, disease, pests and herbicides. They are going to try to enhance their growth, productivity, nutrient value, and chemical composition. The old way of doing this was through selective breeding, special fertilizer, and hormones. This seems now somewhat outdated with today’s technology. Genetic engineering comes with many downfalls. Increased production through genetic engineering could exhaust nonrenewable resources more rapidly and fail to feed a larger and more dependent human population. In Africa, and South and Central America, super breeds of crops, irrigation and hydroelectric dams, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and agripoisons exported to less developed countries produced great short-term profits but destroyed already existing, more regenerative, traditional farming practices, ultimately destroying the communities and fragile land. Natural deserts, swamps and salt marshes need to be preserved to protect biodiversity and the integrity of the Earth’s ecology. Introducing genetically engineered organisms into the environment means that these areas could be invaded by these new species therefore furthering loss of natural ecosystems. A major concern of farmers and scientists regarding engineered crops is that they are afraid that these new plants which would be resistant to herbicides and other chemicals would breed with a nearby weedy relative and thus creating a superweed that would be resistant to herbicide... ... middle of paper ... ...use serious allergic reactions, and bacteria genetically engineered to produce large amounts of the food supplement, tryptophan, have been suspected to produce toxic contaminants that killed 37 people and permanently disabled 1,500 more. Genetically Engineered foods will also lead to and increase in pollution of food and water supply. More than 50% of the crops developed by biotechnology companies have been engineered to be resistant to herbicides. Use of herbicide-resistant crops will lead to a threefold increase in the use of herbicides, resulting in even greater pollution of our food and water with toxic agrochemicals. In my opinion, genetically modified organisms pose a serious risk to human health and to the environment. More research needs to be done to determine all the consequences of releasing genetically modified organisms into the natural environment.
...y modified organisms can not only infiltrate our ecosystem and threaten the natural processes but they can also impose health risks for the living in various areas. In closing, it is important to be aware of the benefits and limitations of genetically modified organisms. The real question is do you want them in your life?
Genetically modified foods have a huge impact on our environment. One way that genetically modified foods are hurting our environment is that process can involve the exchange of genes between two totally different species. People are actually putting scorpion toxin into corn and fish antifreeze into tomatoes (De Greef). These changes in the plants make the plant able to with stand the attack of pests and weather, but it is still possible that the plant’s DNA will cross and make bad toxins. If a farmer plants a crop that has the resistance to herbicides, drought, cold, and pests those plants can eventually cross with weeds and then the farmer will end up with weeds that are resistant to everything too. Then the scientists will end up having to make the plants stronger to fight off the weeds, then the weeds will get stronger, and the cycle will keep on going. Another argument for the ban of...
Herbicide resilient crops increase the use of herbicides, swelling costs for farmers as well as creating conservational problems, affecting inferior communities who live near large GM farms in developing countries, as well as causing pollution. Insecticide crops are constantly producing toxins when they're not even necessary, and can indiscriminately kill other insects beneficial for the environment. Continued manufacturing promises about the ability of GM crops to tackle the world's growing social problems are pure myth: there is still not a single commercial GM crop with increased yield or salt-tolerance, enhanced nutrition or other 'beneficial' traits. GM crops are confined to a handful of countries with highly developed agricultural subdivisions – where GM-cash-crops are grown to be sold on the world market for materials, feed and fuel, and not intended to feed
...f the human beings!. Moreover, genetic modification affect the environment negatively, ”Genetically modified corn and soybeans appear in everything from high fructose corn syrup to soy milk, there is no way to get it out of the food chain now.” (Hatch, R.H, 2010) .
The term GMO is typically used to refer to crops designed for animal or human food, but making them better through biological technologies (Phillips). Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO’s, have been helping the world try to explore scientific feats. They can help clean up oil-spills (Anderson), or even help a farmer make a little extra money (Lilliston). The question everyone is asking: “Is this really helping us, or not?” People everywhere are debating if these are safe for not only us, but our planet as well. People think that toxins from these modifications could possible pollute our planet and our bodies. (Anderson)
GMOs have their pros and cons, but in terms of their effects on biodiversity, the technology is almost solely negative in how it affects the environment. Genetically modified food can damage agriculture as it allows for less restraint on chemical usage which leads to stronger weeds and weaker soil. The crops can easily spread their genetically modified genome through the wind. GMOs damage living organisms by making nasty insects stronger and vital insects weaker. GM foods are correlated with the decline in mammal and bird health and the introduction of GM animals like salmon poses a threat to the ecosystem of wild fish. GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration through contamination and mutation to adaptation to evolution to species extinction. Indeed, some claims are not well supported and may require testing, like genetic alteration through consumption or the validity of correlating animal health deficits with GM feeds. However, overall, GM foods clearly affect the world negatively in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem impacts.
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms created in a lab by altering an organism’s DNA, are in almost everything we eat (Chevat and Pollan). In fact, 75% of all supermarket food contains some form of a GMO (Caldwell). They can be engineered to resist disease, pesticides, and herbicides, which has many environmental and human repercussions. Although genetically modified food is cheap for consumers, it is harmful to the environment and it is dangerous for humans to ingest, and therefore needs to be eliminated from our food supply.
Genetically Modified Organism was introduced to the public approximately fourteen years ago. Genetically Modified Organism was brought about through Plant Biotechnology, which has been researched for centuries. Farmers’ crops are everything to their business, and wanting to preserve their product is top significance. A solution to the numerous possibilities of hindrance genetically modified organism was spawned. Traditional breeding included different processes, such as sowing seeds from the resilient plants in order to produce a new generation. Farmers would grow plants with higher yield and resistance to pests, naturally alternating the genetic makeup of plants. Consequently, a vast majority of plants today bare resemblances of their lineage (Biotechnology Industry Organization 2010). Plant biotechnology allows breeders to sel...
Genetically modified foods could cross-pollinate with other plants and create an entirely new species. In addition, there is the danger of biotech-resistant weeds and insects evolving. GMO’s have the potential to alter ecosystems in significant ways. Companies are currently engineering salmon, tilapia, carp, and other fish to promote faster growth or to provide resistance to certain diseases. Aquaculture farms are located in oceans and other bodies of water and the fish escape the nets regularly, ecologists worry that genetically modified fish could breed with natural fish.
GMOs better known as Genetically Modified Organisms or GE (Genetically Engineered) are the product of a process of which allows scientists alter genes of a variety of foreign species such as plants, bacteria or even animals. This can cause unpredictable changes and can be harmful when consumed. GMO puts people as well as the environment at risk, such as destroying the natural food web to causing potential disease and allergies from mixing genes. Disease is one of the main concerns regarding GM foods because of the use of viruses and bacteria that are used. There is a risk of disease developing when consumed by humans. Another main concern is keeping the area with these GM plants contained. Spreading causes contamination in wildlife and land
Steinbrecher, Ricarda. “Genetically Engineered Crops May Harm The Environment.” Genetic Engineering. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004. 150-158. Print.
Genetically Modified Plant's can increase crop yields, they are resistance to pests and herbicides, and GMO plants stop the use of many pesticides. But there are drawbacks to these benefits. For example, field studies conducted in India found Bt cotton demonstrated a higher crop yield, but, "By 2004, however, farmers who had been growing Bt cotton for several years found that the benefits of the crop eroded as populations of secondary insect pests, such as Mirids, increased," (Diaz and Fridovich-Kiel). The new crops tamper with the natural structure of the environment, and attract bug who could eat the plants without dying. Another way in which GMO plants can tamper with the natural environment is bugs can adapt to the new crop. Therefore, the plants create super bugs which can survive the effects of the GMO plants. As a matter of fact, another way GMO plants can corrupt the natural environment is the use of more chemicals to kill herbicides. Some GMO crops are engineered to resist certain herbicides, "However, because HRCs (Herbicide resistant crops) encourage increase application of chemicals to the soil, rather than decrease the application, they remain controversial with regard to their environmental impact" (Diaz and Fridovich-Keil). In other words, GMO's are not only unsafe towards humans, they are unsafe for the natural balance of the environment. We as humans
There is a rise in concern for the environment in society now a days. Pollution due to cars and companies is the number one reason for global warming but following that is farming. Many people do not think that farming affects the environment in a bad way. But the way we farm now has a huge impact in the soil and water. Because farmers have a large burden to supply an immense amount of food in such a short time, they decide to overuse the soil which leads in bad soil quality and the soil becomes infertile. Moreover, the water can not be oberserved by the soil and the plants do not get the water that they need.As a result, farmers are forced to move and at the end, there is no land to farm on. But through the use of GM seeds, farmers can produce more produce in little time without destroying the soil. Another way society can think of this is that scientists are helping to set nature back on track. Therefore, genetically modified seeds help with the increase in food without the destruction of the land and water
Genetically Modified crops are crops were people have been manipulating the genetic make-up of the plant so they can produce a
Genetic engineering is a way in which specific genes for an animal or plant can be extracted, and reproduced to form a new animal or plant. These new organisms will express the required trait for that gene. This practice is a very controversial topic within the scientific world. It is being implemented in various areas such as agriculture even though there are many alternatives that can be found for genetic engineered crops, such as organic materials and reducing leeching of the soil. The controversy regarding this practice occurs as it is believed to contribute both negative and positive implications and dangers, not only to oneself but the environment as a whole. Genetic engineering increases the agricultural economy, the yields of agricultural produce, and also causes negative effects on the ecosystem.