A genetically modified organism, or GMO for short, is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. (Webster Dictionary) Today, we will be talking about the most controversial genetically modified organisms, food, or GMFs. There are many reasons why GMFs are good for our planet, and I will be discussing the following: How GMOs can save ecosystems from drought, how GMOs can add nutrients to food like rice, and how GMOs can prevent foodborne illnesses.
The first item on the list is about how GMOs can save water and prevent droughts. Monsanto, one of the leading producers of genetically modified foods, has created a project known as Water Efficient Maize for Africa, or WEMA. According to Monsanto, “Three-quarters of the world’s most severe droughts over the past 10 years have occurred in Africa”, they go on to say, “[WEMA] was created with a goal to enhance food security in Sub-Saharan Africa through developing and deploying water-efficient maize royalty-free to the smallholder farmers.” In other words, Monsanto has created the WEMA project to protect the yield of corn crops from being affected by drought, and to prevent drought from being affected by corn crops. This project can save countries from starvation and drought, and overall help Sub-Saharan African countries with their agricultural issues.
Second, according to WebMD, Swiss researchers created “Golden” rice which is enriched with beta-carotene, which is good for the eyes and skin. GMOs are genetically flexible, meaning that they have genes that have been altered, this alteration can improve the nutritional value of the GMOs, in fact, the NIH states that Biotechnology has introduced a new dimension to innovation of agricultural productivity and sustainability. Whether it’s rice being enriched with beta-carotene, or flax seeds being enriched with Omega-3s, GMOs have nutritional benefits for the whole world.
Last thing on the list, GMOs are known to prevent foodborne illnesses. For example, let’s return to the WEMA Project by Monsanto. Not only does the project help reduce the water intake of corn, but it also helps prevent insects from eating the corn, thereby preventing insect transmitted diseases. In 1992, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the “Flavr Savr” tomato strain which is resistant to softening and rotting, as the first genetically engineered food granted a license for human consumption. This can help prevent food poisoning by not letting the tomatoes rot.
Some other benefits of GMOs are… Longer shelf life, better taste, easier to farm more in smaller areas, (sourced) UC Santa Cruz. Not only that UCSC also says “The genetic engineering of plants has the potential to provide edible plant vaccines that could be used to immunize individuals against a wide variety of infectious diseases ranging from cholera to potentially AIDS.” This possible innovation could help third-world areas, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where as of 2013, according to avert.org 21.7 million Africans have HIV/AIDS. Indeed this possibility of food vaccinations is likely, noting that, UCSC cites that “... [T]ransgenic potato plants that have been produced and tested successfully by utilizing a genetically engineered food to deliver a pharmaceutical immunization against diarrhea.”
In conclusion, and as it should be obvious at this point, it is clear that GMOs are beneficial for both companies, and their consumers to be integrating GMOs into their crops and other agricultural endeavors. GMOs have the ability to save third-world countries from disease, starvation, and drought. Not only can GMOs affect third-world countries, they can also help the world as a whole by keeping food tasting better, and the shelf life for that food longer. And keep in mind, it doesn’t hurt to at least try.