Genetically Modified Organisms in Agriculture

Ten thousand years ago, humans lived a nomadic lifestyle, following the

migration patterns of animals and gathering whatever we could from what nature

provided. The advent of the agricultural revolution introduced a plethora of changes to

the human species, and our nomadic lifestyle became obsolete. We were able to root

ourselves to one spot, breed livestock, and grow our own crops. Selective breeding came

into play for both livestock and crops: we could select the biggest and the best. With our

ever-growing population, it is essential that we continue to pursue advancements in

agriculture in order to provide food security for all.

One recent agricultural advancement that has been the subject of debate is

genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. GMOs involve the transfer of genetic material

from one organism to the other, in order to breed for “desirable traits such as large size,

fast growth, and resistance to insect pests” (Withgott and Laposata, 2014). Despite

having the capacity to establish crops, there are always other factors at play that could

inhibit the success of a harvest. It became necessary to concern ourselves with various

components of agriculture, such as highest yield, largest size, and resistance to disease.

GMOs are a step beyond selective breeding, and are overall a positive contribution to our

growing food security issue.

Although humans have been implementing the selective breeding of crops over

the past several thousand years, GMOs are a very new approach to agriculture. GMOs

came into existence in the early 1970s, but were not used for commercialized food until

1994 when the FLAVR SAVR tomato was born (Bruening & Lyons, 2001). This tomato

was genetically modified by reducing a certain enzyme that contributed to the ripening
process: the intent was to develop a tomato that would stay fresher, longer. The sale of

the tomato only lasted a few years.

Roughly 80% of the food in our grocery stores is produced using GMOs. Food

cannot be marketed as ‘organic’ if it contains any GMOs (Beecher 2014). Currently, the

most common GMFs sold in the United States include soy, corn, milk, sugar, zucchini,

squash, and papaya (Keenan 2013). A Canadian bioengineering firm created an apple that

would not brown even after slicing, and it hit shelves in the United States around

November 2017 (Mulvany 2017).

One notable example of a GMO crop improving and saving millions of lives is

Golden Rice. Golden Rice has been genetically manipulated to contain higher levels of

vitamin A. Rice is deemed to be the main source of energy for half the people in the

world, but it does not contain necessary nutrients for human growth and development.

Vitamin A deficiency can lead to vision impairment and poor immune health, and

subsequently, the death of millions per year. Although Golden Rice has the potential to

be helpful in combatting vitamin A deficiency, very few people have actually consumed

it, and its inventors still acknowledge the environmental risks associated with it: the

potential spread of its genetic code into nearby wild plants and loss of biodiversity

(Golden Rice Project 2018).

Public rejection of GMOs in food has only surfaced within the last decade, with

34% of consumers in 2010 being “extremely concerned” about GMOs in food (Deloitte

Food Survey 2010). The Non-GMO Project claims GMOs in food are associated with

health and environmental risks, and are also a violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights

(Non-GMO Project 2018). The biggest argument against GMOs is loss of biodiversity
due to crossbreeding with wild crops. GMO crops are also molded to be resistant to many

things, such as disease, rot, and herbicide. Two types of herbicides used on GMO crops

in the United States have been labeled as potential carcinogens (Landrigen and Benbrook

2015).

Biodiversity plays a vital role for sustaining human life. A high number of plant

species ensures viable crops for harvest. If one species of crop fails catastrophically, there

exist many others to take its place. One concern raised by GMO crops is the potential for

infiltration of GMO DNA into other species. GMOs “reinforce genetic homogeneity and

promote large scale monocultures” and they have the potential to affect “fitness of other

species, population dynamics, ecological roles, and interactions, promoting local

extinctions, population explosions, and changes in community structure and function

inside and outside agroecosystems”, thereby contributing to a loss of biodiversity

(Gertzberg 2011). The concern about GMOs influencing loss of biodiversity is valid and

understandable, considering that our food supply comes from a variation of about fifteen

crops.

Adverse health effects are another major concern of GMO opponents. The

Institute for Responsible Technology asserts that GMOs contribute to poor health in

many ways, including infertility, immune problems, changes to major organs, and

gastrointestinal problems. They also argue that GMO crops have had foreign genes

“forced into their DNA… [genes] which have never been in the human food supply”

(Institute for Responsible Technology 2018).

Alternatively, GMOs have not been definitively proven to cause adverse health

effects. In a study conducted in 2007, one genetically altered form of corn was fed to rats
for 90 days. The rats were prone to tumors and premature death, but the conclusion was

that there was no positive correlation between the GMO food and adverse side effects

(Doull 2007). Another more recent study discovered that GM corn was safer and

healthier because it did not require nearly as much herbicide due to its insect-repellant

nature, resulting in far fewer toxins from insects (Pellegrino et. Al. 2018). The FDA

works with GMO producers before their product reaches consumers, to ensure the GMO

product contains no new toxins or allergens, and meets the same standard of nutrient

quality as its non-GMO counterpart (US Food and Drug Administration 2018).

For farmers whose crops are non-GMO, several issues may arise. The first issue

ties back into accidental cross-pollination between non-GMO and GMO crops growing

nearby. This can lead to several problems for the non-GMO farmers, who may take

action against the GMO farmers in the form of a tort liability claim. Additionally, the

non-GMO crops may test positive for GMO contamination, thereby violating sales

contracts entered into by non-GMO farmers. It is believed that many native landraces of

maize in Mexico have been contaminated by GMO transgenes, although this has not been

proven (Withgott and Laposata 2014).

One activist website against GMOs makes the argument that there are sustainable

alternatives to GMO crops. Their first suggestion is for seed sovereignty, which “reclaims

seeds and biodiversity as commons and public good. The farmer's rights to breed and

exchange diverse open source seeds which can be saved and which are not patented,

genetically modified, owned or controlled by emerging seed giants” (Lexicon of Food

2015). Next, they emphasize the need for fairer and greener farming, claiming, “Smaller
fields, biodiversity-rich hedgerows, increased crop rotation and many other techniques

can be used to create a healthier countryside” (Stop the Crop 2018).

The potential issue with seed sovereignty is patent rights. It may prove difficult or

impossible to get all farmers or corporations to agree to release patented seeds.

Furthermore, smaller fields could be a poor alternative to large GMO crops because of

their lower yield. The chance of failure is higher with a smaller field, which would result

in higher rates of food insecurity.

The biggest unintended consequence that has already become evident with the

introduction of GMOs in agriculture is the risk of cross-contamination between GMO

crops and non-GMO crops, and subsequent loss of genetic diversity. We can combat

potential loss of biodiversity with seed banks, such as the U.S. National Seed Storage

Laboratory at my alma mater, Colorado State University. The EPA does not monitor the

economic costs that arise from GMO crops intermingling with non-GMO crops, and they

do not have policy in place to either monitor or prevent this from happening (Gould

2016). To improve public image, better governmental systems could be implemented for

this purpose, such as monitoring of buffer crops

The health issues are yet to be revealed, as the FDA, USDA, EPA, EFSA, and

FSANZ “have concluded that from a human and environmental perspective, authorized

GM crops and food ingredients produced from them are safe” (Unilever 2018). The most

common health concern associated with GMOs such as cancer does not have any hard

data behind it: “data do not support the assertion that cancer rates have increased because

of consumption of products of GE crops” (Gould 2016). Kidney disease, obesity,

gastrointestinal disease, celiac disease, allergies, and autism are all additional concerns
voiced by the public, but none of these health concerns have any scientific data backing

them whatsoever (Gould 2016).

GMOs are considerably environmentally friendly, and align with sustainable

development goals. Due to their insect-nature, GMO crops experience significantly less

harvest failure than non-GMO crops. This means farmers can produce more without

needing additional land and resources. GMOs are also herbicide-tolerant. Less chemicals

are used on the crops, thus reducing the amount of tilling farmers need to do. The soil of

GMO crops is nutrient rich because of this. Less tilling allows for the soil to retain

moisture, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce soil erosion (GMO Answers

2018).

The main environmental cost of GMO crops is the negative impact on nearby

ecosystems and non-GMO crops. However, GMO crops can produce more and larger

food, are resistant to weather, disease, and pests, and have a lower chance of crop failure.

We can combat potential loss of biodiversity with seed banks, such as the U.S. National

Seed Storage Laboratory at my alma mater, Colorado State University.

The social benefits of GMO crops can include reduced environmental impact and

more jobs in biotechnology. In the past few decades, China has stepped up its food

production game in order to meet food security needs of all its citizens. This meant

finding new and innovative agricultural technologies. Before GMOs, the amount of

pesticides used on crops in China was devastating to the environment, but since the

introduction of using GMO crops that do not require pesticides, the environmental impact

has greatly lessened. Since investing in agricultural biotechnology, China’s “number of

scientists and professional staff rose from 740 in 1986 to 1,988 in 1999”, and continues to

rise (Tao and Shudong 2006).

Global food security is one of the biggest sustainable development goals, and

GMO crops can help. GMOs have a reduced need for land and water consumption,

contribute less to greenhouse gas emissions, and allow for more nutrient-rich food.

Because less land and water is being used, more nutrient-rich crops can be produced,

allowing for more communities to be fed. The use of GMO technologies also allows for

an increase in biotechnology jobs and an economic improvement (Genetic Literacy

Project 2018).

GMO crops save farmers money in several ways. Fewer pesticides are required,

less tilling is necessary, and less water is used. Transgenic food grows faster and larger

than its wild species counterparts, resulting in higher yield and quicker profit. In turn,

these savings are passed down to the consumer. The environmentally sustainable nature

of GMOs also contributes to low costs (Stebbins 2016).

The future of GMOs in agriculture holds much promise: they won’t be

disappearing anytime soon. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been investing

in GMOs to “fight malnutrition and improve food security”; Bill Gates considers the age

of the GMOs “the second round of the Green Revolution” (Cornish 2018). The

foundation website highlights the sustainable development goal of ending world hunger

and poverty by 2030, and funding GMO research feeds directly into that. The foundation

aims to help small, urban farmers by providing them access to GMO technology.

“Transforming agriculture improves rural economies, reduces poverty, and increases

access to nutritious food” (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2018).

 When embarking on my initial research on GMOs in agriculture, I had no opinion

one way or another, and that is exactly why I chose the topic. I desired to broaden my

horizons and form a logical opinion. Throughout my quest to find the truth on whether or

not GMO crops were a positive addition to our world, the most obvious thing jumped out

at me; sources against GMOs in agriculture were opinionated activist groups twisting the

worst of scientific studies, and sources in support of GMO crops were scientific, unbiased

research groups or government organizations. Of all the dozens of resources I combed

through, this was the most compelling piece of evidence that GMO crops are more ‘good’

than ‘bad’.

I found no solid scientific evidence blaming GMOs for health issues, but I found

many articles highlighting how GMOs will help with global food security. The biggest

concern I now have with GMOs is the potential for accidental crossbreeding of genes

between GMO and non-GMO crops and loss of biodiversity, but I believe this is

something that can be solved with cooperation between lawmakers and farmers.

Conclusively, I am optimistic about the role GMO crops have to play in reducing global

food insecurity, environmental benefits, and positive contributions to the global

economy.
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