Have Genetically Modified Foods Improved the Food Industry? Essay

Genetic modification is the area of biotechnology which concerns itself with the manipulation of genetic material in living organisms and enabling them to perform a specific function. New developments leading to modern genetic modification which took place in 1946 where scientists first discovered that genetic material was transferable between different species. Genetically modified yields have been helpful to both the economy and nature. The worldwide nourishment harvest yield (1996–2013) has expanded by > 370 million tons (Raman, 2017) over a moderately little real estate area. Genetically modified harvests have been recorded to diminish natural and environmental effects, prompting increments in species assorted variety. It is consequently obvious that genetically modified yields have been complimented by farming researchers, cultivators and most naturalists around the world. Nevertheless, significant questions are raised on the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops due to their advancements (Raman, 2017). Genetically modified seed industry has been tormented with the issues identified with human well-being and creepy crawly obstruction which genuinely undermined their helpful impacts. Genetically modified foods are highly demanding, and it raised severe problems for commercial agriculture as the explosive population growth increases the demand for food resources on a global scale.

The agriculture industry has been valued at an estimated US$ 3.2 trillion (Raman, 2017) worldwide and accounts for a large share of the GDP and employment in developing and underdeveloped nations. This industry suffers from various significant problems or setbacks like population growth, pest resistance and burden on natural resources.

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The Food and Agricultural Organization extends the worldwide populace to develop to around 9.7 billion by 2050 – a close to half increment from 2013 – and further to an expected 11bn by 2100. Current rural practices alone can't continue the total populace and kill unhealthiness and appetite on a worldwide scale later on. In reality, the FAO likewise assesses that regardless of a huge decrease in worldwide craving, 653 million individuals will even now be undernourished in 2030. Additionally, different examinations portray the main four worldwide harvests (soybean, maize, wheat, and rice) are expanding at 1.0%, 0.9%, 1.6% and 1.3% per annum individually around 42%, 38%, 67% and 55% lower than the necessary development rate (2.4%/annum) to support the worldwide populace in 2050 (Raman, 2017). Compounded with different issues, for example, improved nourishing measures in the thriving lower-working class and anticipated misfortune in arable land (from 0.242 ha/individual in 2016 to 0.18 ha/individual in 2050) because of debasement and quickened urbanization, fast total populace extension will build interest for nourishment assets.

Yearly harvest misfortune to bugs alone record for 20–40% of the worldwide yield misfortunes. As far as financial worth, handling crop infections and pestilences and obtrusive bug issue costs the horticulture business around $290 million annually. Currently, significant scourges keep on plaguing business agribusiness. It has been anticipated that yield infection and irritation occurrences are growing in a poleward heading (2.7 km annually), showed by espresso leaf rust and wheat rust flare-ups in Central America. These rates have to a great extent been ascribed to an amalgamation of globalization prompting expanded plant, bug and illness development, increment in sickness vectors, environmental change and worldwide warming.

While coordinated nuisance the board and counteractive action procedures to some degree alleviate the bug issue, they are insufficient to combat cross-border demic cultures. The study of disease transmission of the Panama malady (or Panama shrivel), brought about by the dirt organism Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense gives strong proof in such manner. Since the early-mid 1990s the Tropical Race-4 (TR4) strain, a solitary pathogen Foc growth clone, has altogether disabled the worldwide banana industry. In 2013, the Mindanao Banana Farmers and Exporters Cooperation (in Philippines) announced disease in 5900 hectares of bananas, including 3000 hectares that were deserted. In Mozambique, symptomatic plants at present record for >20% of all-out banana manors (570,000 out 2.5m) since the revealing of TR4 in 2015. Also, TR4 misfortunes have cost Taiwanese, Malaysian, and Indonesian economies a joined gauge of US$ 388.4 million. Therefore, a disturbing increment in transboundary yield and vermin infections have expansive ecological, social and financial effects on ranchers and undermine nourishment security.

The FAO's 2050 projections propose anticipated normal asset shortcomings for crop care. Despite by and large agrarian productivity, unsustainable challenge has increased because of urbanization, populace development, industrialization, and environmental change. Deforestation for horticultural purposes has driven 80% of the deforestation around the world. In tropical and subtropical zones where deforestation is as yet far-reaching, rural extension represented loss of 7 million hectares for every annum of common woods between 2000–2010. Additionally, water withdrawals for farming represented 70% of everything being equal, truly exhausting characteristic water assets in numerous nations. This has especially been seen in low precipitation areas, for example, Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia where water for farming records for 80–90% of the all-out water withdrawal. These patterns are anticipated to proceed with well into the 21st century and in this way increment the weight of regular asset utilization universally.

To further emphasize the impact of GM crops on economies, GM cotton (India). In India, cotton has served as an important fiber and textile raw material and plays a vital role in its industrial and agricultural economy. Nearly 8 million farmers, most of them small and medium (having less than 15 acres of farm size and an average of 3–4 acres of cotton holdings) depend on this crop for their livelihood. In 2002, Monsanto-Mahyco introduced Bollgard-I, India's first GM cotton hybrid containing Cry1Ac-producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes for controlling the pink bollworm (P. gossypiella) pest (Raman, 2017). Initially, only 36% of the farmers adopted the new crop however this statistic soon grew to 46% in 200417 after Bt cotton was approved nationwide.

Genetically modified crops can mitigate several current challenges for the modification to improve it. All of these crops deliver benefits not only for farmers, but also for the environment by reducing land use and general environmental impact, and for consumers by supporting global food security. The ability of society as a whole to enjoy the benefits of this technology depends in large part on decision-makers, governments and the regulatory frameworks of each country.

References

1. Akumo D., Riedel H., & Semtanska I. (2013). Social and Economic Issues – Genetically Modified Food, Food Industry, DOI: 10.5772/54478. Retrieved from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/food-industry/social-and-economic-issues-genetically-modified-food
2. Raman R. (2017) The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops in Modern Agriculture, 8(4):195-208. doi: 10.1080/21645698.2017.1413522
3. Norero D. (2018, February 23). GMO Crops Have Been Increasing Yield for 20 Year.