GMO
As for the other job I applied for, I wrote the most glorious 800 word article for the screening process. It has been over one week and still no reply so I'll have to cut it loose. Still, I think I did a pretty fancy job in writing the article below in 2 days. Enjoy! *snore*
“Genetically modified crops: A way to meet global food security”
The years 2007 to 2008 saw a spike in global food prices, leading economists to call it the global food crisis. Issues that directly contributed to the crisis are the increased consumer demand for food which led to increased oil prices, decreased crop yields due to environmental degradation and unfavourable weather conditions, the dramatic increase in meat consumption in developing countries, and the diversion of 5% of the world’s cereal to biofuel production. Biofuels are said to be responsible for the drastic rise in wheat prices where the diversion of food to fuel inflated prices as well as financial speculation from international subsidies in biofuels. While food production was high in 2008 and 2009, food prices are still significantly higher than their pre-2007 levels.
Increased food prices leads to decreased availability and affordability of food, especially for the 1 billion of the world’s population who live off less than US$1 (RM3.40) a day. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 21 countries that suffer from acute or chronic malnutrition, making them the most vulnerable to the global food security crisis. Food security is defined as people’s accessibility to sufficient, safe, nutritious food and genetically-modified (GM) crops can provide an inexpensive, sustainable and safe solution to this predicament. The benefits are evident: with decreased pesticide spraying and increased crop yield comes sufficient food supply which leads to increased quality of life in the developing world and global food security.
GM foods with pest resistance reduce crop losses and decrease the use of pesticide sprays, and consequently, trim down the amount of fuel and water consumed in the production of pesticides. An estimate of the decrease in total pesticide use would be around 350,000 metric tons, according to biotechnology giant Monsanto. Meanwhile herbicide-resistant crops eliminate the need for tilling and lower herbicide use. The production of these crops require just one application of herbicide to reduce the total amount of herbicide needed while the reduction of tilling leads to decreased topsoil erosion and preservation of soil moisture. Both the above practices can decrease agricultural chemical run-off which can contaminate water supplies.
Vitamin A deficiencies cause blindness in up to 500,000 children annually, according to WHO estimates. Nutritionally-enhanced GM crops could offer a more efficient method of beta-carotene delivery to malnourished communities and reduce blindness-related mortalities, and such technologies are being expanded to include other nutrients like iron to combat anaemia.
With the global population expected to reach 9.3 billion in 2050, the need to produce more food in the same amount of land becomes more urgent. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that most of the planet’s available farmland is already being used for agricultural purposes. GM crops that have cold, drought or salinity tolerance can improve yield by increasing crops’ ability to withstand harsher environments and farmers would be able to grow crops in previously harsh conditions.
Environmental concerns are especially pressing in recent times, mainly due to increased awareness concerning climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are greatly decreased by planting GM crops making these crops environmentally beneficial. The use of GM crops also minimizes the need to clear additional land for farming as more food fan be produced on the same amount of land. By increasing efficiency in land usage and decreasing habitat loss, the environmental impact of agriculture on ecosystems can be lowered, thus preserving biodiversity.
As GM crops are highly sustainable and resource-efficient, impoverished communities will be able to experience agricultural and financial security. The 13.3 million farmers worldwide who have earned US$44 billion in 1996 to 2007 show that GM crops are economically feasible. Increasing agricultural productivity, especially in developing nations, could be a catalyst for economic growth, affording poorer communities better access to healthcare, education and employment.
While researchers continuously prove that GM foods are safe for the environment and for human consumption, a major hurdle in our efforts to feed the world is consumer distrust. Concerns include reduced effectiveness of agricultural chemicals, gene transfer to non-target species and possible allergenicity to GM foods, but there has been no concrete evidence that suggests that GM foods are in any way hazardous to our health. The issue about GM food labelling is also hotly debated, with consumer’s preferences being a major player in food prices in the free market, and as a result, would influence farmers’ willingness to produce such crops.
The key to global food security is sustainability. A greater level of public confidence and a higher investment in agricultural crop management can promote safe testing and cultivation of GM crops. By farming GM crops, we can tackle world hunger and access to nutritious and affordable food is ensured. The is still much untapped potential in GM crops and we would be foolish not to take advantage of a technology that would lead to global food security.
By Felicia Lee. Please, if you stumble upon this on Google, do not plagiarise and do your own homework.
“Genetically modified crops: A way to meet global food security”
The years 2007 to 2008 saw a spike in global food prices, leading economists to call it the global food crisis. Issues that directly contributed to the crisis are the increased consumer demand for food which led to increased oil prices, decreased crop yields due to environmental degradation and unfavourable weather conditions, the dramatic increase in meat consumption in developing countries, and the diversion of 5% of the world’s cereal to biofuel production. Biofuels are said to be responsible for the drastic rise in wheat prices where the diversion of food to fuel inflated prices as well as financial speculation from international subsidies in biofuels. While food production was high in 2008 and 2009, food prices are still significantly higher than their pre-2007 levels.
Increased food prices leads to decreased availability and affordability of food, especially for the 1 billion of the world’s population who live off less than US$1 (RM3.40) a day. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 21 countries that suffer from acute or chronic malnutrition, making them the most vulnerable to the global food security crisis. Food security is defined as people’s accessibility to sufficient, safe, nutritious food and genetically-modified (GM) crops can provide an inexpensive, sustainable and safe solution to this predicament. The benefits are evident: with decreased pesticide spraying and increased crop yield comes sufficient food supply which leads to increased quality of life in the developing world and global food security.
GM foods with pest resistance reduce crop losses and decrease the use of pesticide sprays, and consequently, trim down the amount of fuel and water consumed in the production of pesticides. An estimate of the decrease in total pesticide use would be around 350,000 metric tons, according to biotechnology giant Monsanto. Meanwhile herbicide-resistant crops eliminate the need for tilling and lower herbicide use. The production of these crops require just one application of herbicide to reduce the total amount of herbicide needed while the reduction of tilling leads to decreased topsoil erosion and preservation of soil moisture. Both the above practices can decrease agricultural chemical run-off which can contaminate water supplies.
Vitamin A deficiencies cause blindness in up to 500,000 children annually, according to WHO estimates. Nutritionally-enhanced GM crops could offer a more efficient method of beta-carotene delivery to malnourished communities and reduce blindness-related mortalities, and such technologies are being expanded to include other nutrients like iron to combat anaemia.
With the global population expected to reach 9.3 billion in 2050, the need to produce more food in the same amount of land becomes more urgent. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that most of the planet’s available farmland is already being used for agricultural purposes. GM crops that have cold, drought or salinity tolerance can improve yield by increasing crops’ ability to withstand harsher environments and farmers would be able to grow crops in previously harsh conditions.
Environmental concerns are especially pressing in recent times, mainly due to increased awareness concerning climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are greatly decreased by planting GM crops making these crops environmentally beneficial. The use of GM crops also minimizes the need to clear additional land for farming as more food fan be produced on the same amount of land. By increasing efficiency in land usage and decreasing habitat loss, the environmental impact of agriculture on ecosystems can be lowered, thus preserving biodiversity.
As GM crops are highly sustainable and resource-efficient, impoverished communities will be able to experience agricultural and financial security. The 13.3 million farmers worldwide who have earned US$44 billion in 1996 to 2007 show that GM crops are economically feasible. Increasing agricultural productivity, especially in developing nations, could be a catalyst for economic growth, affording poorer communities better access to healthcare, education and employment.
While researchers continuously prove that GM foods are safe for the environment and for human consumption, a major hurdle in our efforts to feed the world is consumer distrust. Concerns include reduced effectiveness of agricultural chemicals, gene transfer to non-target species and possible allergenicity to GM foods, but there has been no concrete evidence that suggests that GM foods are in any way hazardous to our health. The issue about GM food labelling is also hotly debated, with consumer’s preferences being a major player in food prices in the free market, and as a result, would influence farmers’ willingness to produce such crops.
The key to global food security is sustainability. A greater level of public confidence and a higher investment in agricultural crop management can promote safe testing and cultivation of GM crops. By farming GM crops, we can tackle world hunger and access to nutritious and affordable food is ensured. The is still much untapped potential in GM crops and we would be foolish not to take advantage of a technology that would lead to global food security.
By Felicia Lee. Please, if you stumble upon this on Google, do not plagiarise and do your own homework.