Harrison Garcia

Period 5 : Art
Mrs. Rickli
December 22, 2015
Every four seconds, someone on this planet dies of hunger. That amounts to about 21000
people a day, according to the United Nations. This problem of hunger can easily be solved with
some simple logistics, such as shipping hundreds of tonnes of grain across thousands of miles of
oceans every day. But there is a more simple solution to this problem. Have you ever thought of
a plant that can grow in in extreme heat or cold? What about a plant that can survive with little
water and kill pests? These types of plants can be created through a process known as genetic
engineering, in which a segment of DNA which expresses a desired characteristic is taken, or
spliced from one organism to another. If we can do these things so easily, then why are they not
spread throughout the world? This is mainly because politicians and countless organizations
combat the practice of genetic engineering because they feel that it will destroy the world. As
people with decent morals, we must overcome this stupidity and incompetence by putting our
minds to curing this epidemic of hunger, beginning with the study of genetic engineering to
benefit all of mankind.
Genetic engineering has countless opportunities in helping and solving the epidemic of
poverty. For example, in Africa, where it is extremely difficult to grow crops due to the lack of
water and extreme heat, genetically engineered crops created to withstand heat and survive with
little water can be introduced to help feed the population; also allowing for the farmers to draw
less from their natural resources, such as water and fossil fuels, saving them money and helping
the environment. For example, Norman Borlaug, known as the, Father of the Green
Revolution, developed different strains of wheat and introduced them to different impoverished

locations around the world; and is credited with saving a billion lives. If the work of one man can
save a billion people from starvation, imagine what the world could do together. Throughout
history, there have been numerous instances where food is sparsely available, whether this is
large or small scale. One of the largest factors that causes these famines is contamination by
fungi, such as the potato blight in Ireland, killing and displacing a whole group of people. With
the use of genetic engineering, crops can be altered to produce a kind of defence against these
fungi and become resistant to them, which could prevent numerous disasters in the future. These
examples are only the beginning of the capabilities genetic engineering, with so much more to
come if more research is conducted.
But of course, there are bad things about playing god with our planet. Even consuming
these kinds of food must be bad for people, because they are genetically altered. Some say they
will lead to the ultimate demise of the human species! But this has proven to be incorrect
according to numerous health studies by world governments through the FDA and the World
Health Organization, the only difference between a GM apple and a normal apple is a bit more
DNA. But what about the genes to produce toxins that scientists splice into plants to repel pests?
These toxins have the same chemical formulas as the pesticides farmers use on their crops
according to Monsanto, a biotech company. Also, these toxins, along with pesticides can be
easily be washed off the food, so there is no reason to worry about health issues with genetic
engineering. One other issue of genetic engineering is creating organisms that overpopulate the
natural environment and overtime destroy it. Though this could happen, it is the normal path of
nature to change, and the goal of living things is to survive and reproduce. So, genetic
engineering will just be another factor in this path of change while also benefiting people for
creating more food. After all, GM wheat and normal wheat is still wheat.

The problem of hunger that burdens this planet can be solved. The use of genetically
modified crops such as wheat which are created to overcome the harsh environments around the
world can help solve this problem. These new crops are completely safe according to numerous
decade long studies. Genetic engineering not only has the capabilities to feed the hungry, but it
can also be used to conserve fossil fuels, create crops that are less demanding of the soil,
conserve precious natural resources such as clean water, and allow the human race to overcome
famines for whatever reason. The benefits of genetic engineering are staggeringly more
enormous than its cons, which is why people should get over their personal views and focus on
the greater good. To sum up, the use of genetically engineered crops to make once arid lands
arable can aid in solving the issue of poverty.