Our food is one of the most essential part of being human. As such, we have strived to improve techniques in food processing and preservation and have also sought ways to develop more efficient ways of food production. We have done research on various chemicals and fertilizers that allow crops to grow abundantly on relatively less fertile soil and we have also studied insecticides and pesticides that help farmers get rid of harmful pests that kill and lessen harvests of produce. However, these innovations have also led to adverse environmental effects on the quality of our environment and even our farmers’ health. In response to these negative environmental and social impacts and the growing need for food, our scientists offers one of the possible solutions in the form of agricultural biotechnology.
AGRICULTURAL BIOTECH
Agricultural biotechnology is the use of various scientific tools and methods such as tissue culture, genetic engineering, molecular markers, and the like to enhance the protection and production of different crops. Through agricultural biotechnology, plants and other microorganisms are improved not only to fight pests, but also to counter or adapt to the effects of climate change such as drought or flooding.
The science of agricultural biotechnology started when agriculturists began to select better traits for propagation. This activity was enhanced upon the discovery of Gregor Mendel on how traits can be passed on through the genes of organisms. Agricultural biotechnology evolved from the traditional cross breeding methods to the cross breeding with mutation techniques until to the genetic engineering of organisms (Wieckzorek and Wright, 2012).
ENVIRONMENTALISM
Despite the promising impacts of agribiotechnology, many environmental activists, specifically Greenpeace, are not in favor of its development. The Greenpeace organization believes that although genetic engineering of crops have benefited food production, it is not right to turn the environment into a “big experimenting field for the interests of large corporations.” Greenpeace has also explained the various reasons to consider our decision on utilizing and patronizing genetically modified food.
One of the arguments that Greenpeace presented against the scientific community on genetic engineering is the safety issues that genetically modified organisms bring to the environment and the health of consumers. According to Greenpeace and anti-GMOs, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the GMOs, once released to the environment, can cause “genetic pollution” that can affect the diversity of plants and animals in the environment. However, the scientific community assures us that there is a very slim possibility of such phenomenon to happen since the release and use of GMOs undergo a rigorous process of research, field testing, and strictly confined trials to ensure the safety of the environment and consumers.
Greenpeace and other environmental activists also cite that GMOs side with the interests of multinational corporations to make money out of poor farmers through selling relatively more expensive genetically modified (GM) seeds. However, the scientists who research on GMOs explain that the benefits of GMOs in terms of pest resistance, climate change adaptation, and relative safety as compared to insecticides will truly benefit small-holder farmers in increasing their product yield and profits that are more compromised by high farm inputs from pesticides and fertilizers and low farm output brought by pests and other environmental disturbances.
CONCLUSION
Agribiotechnology and GMOs have already been distributed throughout our food industry. Despite the uncertainties and the multinational company propaganda that anti-GMOs present, agribiotechnology remains as one of the solutions that science can offer to our growing demand of food. GMOs and agribiotechnology offers both consumers and farmers more options in securing safe food.
Works Cited
Wieczorek, A. M. & Wright, M. G. “History of Agricultural Biotechnology: How Crop Development has Evolved.” Nature Education Knowledge 3.10:9 (2012). Web. 9 July 2016.
Greenpeace International. “Genetic Engineering.” Greenpeace.Org. 2015. Web. 9 July 2016.
