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Rebecca Mullins
April 15, 2013
Persuasive Essay Workshop Draft
Why the Sale of Genetically Modified Organisms Should Be Allowed
The worlds population is increasing exponentially, and has shown no signs of slowing
down. A rise in population means many things, but perhaps the most important is the much
greater amount of food required to sustain all members of society. With this increased demand
for agriculture, a huge strain is put on farmers to produce more and more crops. There is simply
not enough space or time to cultivate the amount of food our immense population requires.
Luckily, advancements in technology have offered what may be a solution to this problem.
Scientists have learned how to insert genes from one organism into that of another. Crops can be
genetically modified to have an increase in taste and nutritional value, as well as grow larger,
faster, and be more resistant to pests. These genetically-modified organisms, or GMOs for short,
would provide an efficient, low-cost way to supplement our worlds food supply. It is only
natural that the retail sale of GMOs should be not only be permitted, but also encouraged around
the world.
Genetically modifying crops both increases production and promotes efficient land use.
By 2050, the worlds population is supposed to rise above nine billion, and the amount of arable
land is expected to decrease due to climate change and continued urbanization. Arable land
currently only comprises ten percent of the worlds total land area, while land with little
vegetation, such as urban areas, makes up 34%. Almost all of the ten percent of arable land is
currently being used for agriculture. The world simply cannot afford to lose any of this precious
resource. Because of this, conserving land use is essential for any long-term agricultural plan.
World grain output has been decreasing steadily since the 1980s. Twenty years ago, Africa
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produced 100% of the food it needed, while today it only produces 80% (Human Appropriation
of the World's Food Supply). If we continue to grow crops the way we have in the past,
eventually food production will be unable to sustain our population. GMOs have been found to
increase crop yield, with only a slight alteration of genes leading to a 1.7% increase in
production. This may not seem like much, but when considering the billions of pounds of food
produced every year, it becomes clear how substantial even a small production increase can be.
A larger production rate means that less land will need to be cultivated to produce the same
amount of crops. The unused land could be used to increase a farmers yield even further. This
increase in yield will help improve the livelihood of farmers all around the world. It has been
noted that GMOs may increase a developing countrys dependence on an industrialized country.
Many people may argue that since genetically altered seeds are too expensive for farmers in
third-world countries to purchase, they have to purchase fully grown crops and therefore become
even more dependent on developed countries for their food supply. This statement does contain
some truth; however, this does not change the fact that GMOs cause the worlds food supply to
increase. We must address the larger problem, the worlds diminishing food production, by
bolstering crop yields before we can focus on more specific things such as the distribution of
food produced. Improving the worlds food supply and security on a global scale should be our
first step.
By genetically modifying crops, we can increase their resistance to pests and diseases.
The amount of fertilizer and pesticides farmers use on their crops has always been an issue.
Some pesticides have had severe environmental impacts, or have been shown to be quite harmful
if they come into contact with humans. The effects of pesticides on humans vary in severity.
Some pesticides affect the nervous system, some irritate skin and eyes, and some even can cause
cancer. These chemicals can also kill the natural predators of pests, allowing pests to multiply
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and achieving the opposite effect of what was intended (Pesticides: Health and Safety). In the
past, GMOs have been modified to produce Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt toxins, which act as a
natural pesticide. These toxins are produced in a crystalline form and have been proven to be
completely safe when ingested by humans, but convert into an active, poisonous form when
ingested by the insects that naturally prey on crops. This poison, in turn, destroys the abdomen of
the insect (Pest Resistant Crops). According to the American Medical Association, these
genetically modified, pest-resistant foods are "substantially equivalent to their conventional
counterparts." By using these Bt toxins, farmers no longer have the need to use pesticides on
their crops. In this way, the use of GMOs will reduce the need for chemical pesticides. In the
future, pesticide usage is projected to be reduced by 2.5 million pounds a year in the United
States alone due to the introduction of Bt crops (Genetically Modifying Crops). As a result,
humans would not be exposed to the dangerous, possibly carcinogenic pesticides that our farmers
currently use. Also, as a result of the reduction of the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides
on our crops, ecological damage would decrease dramatically. Without chemicals polluting the
worlds rivers and soil, native plants and animals will be able to live in a safer, healthier
environment where they can thrive and continue to grow.
The taste, quality, and nutritional value of genetically modified crops are also enhanced
greatly. At a glance, nutritional value is clearly the most important of the three. Malnutrition is
a very common ailment, affecting more than half of the population in developing countries, and
is also the number one cause of child mortality in the world. Malnourished people do not only
die because of a lack of food, but also due to poor absorption of vital nutrients in the food
consumed. A deficiency in even a single nutrient can have catastrophic effects on a persons
health. If a staple crop could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and
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minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated or even eliminated. Such research has already
been taking place with rice. Scientists have inserted a vitamin A gene from the daffodil plant
into white rice, creating a crop known as golden rice. This addition of the vitamin A gene both
changes the color and helps provide a nutritional supplement to countries in which vitamin A
deficiencies are common. With more research, we could continue to insert genes from other
organisms that add important nutrients to common crops, which would be a low-cost way to help
reduce malnutrition around the world, especially in developing nations where these nutritious
foods are needed the most. Currently, GMO researchers are focusing on major health concerns,
such as iron deficiencies. They are also working on removing the protein that causes allergic
reactions to nuts (Genetically Modified (GM) Foods). The more we progress in our work with
genetically modifying organisms, the healthier and better nourished the people around the world
will become.
With the worlds ever-rising population and reduction of our already limited amount of
arable land, it is clear that genetically modified crops are going to be an integral part of our
worlds future sustainability. GMOs increase food production, promote efficient land use,
lessen the need for harmful fertilizers, and add nutritional content to diets in developing
countries that could have originally warranted malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies. Farmers
will be able to grow crops with less strain and less risk of being exposed to dangerous chemicals
that would have been added to the fields if the crops had not been modified to be pest resistant.
Although GMOs may have some drawbacks, such as unequal distribution of food, they are far
outweighed by the benefits provided, and can eventually be solved once the world secures its
food supply. Once the facts about genetically modified crops are known, only one response
becomes clear: it is vital that we allow for the sale of them around the world. The future of the
worlds food supply depends on it.
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Works Cited
"Genetically Modifying Crops." Mission 2014: Feeding the World. Massachusetts Institute of
Technology , 01 Dec 2010. Web. 28 Mar 2013.
<http://12.000.scripts.mit.edu/mission2014/genetically-modified-crops>.
"Genetically Modified (GM) Foods." Better Health Channel. State Government of Victoria, 27
Mar 2013. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
<http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Genetically_modified_f
oods>.
"Human Appropriation of the World's Food Supply." Global Change. University of Michigan,
01 Apr 2006. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
<http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/food_supply/food.h
tm>.
"Pest Resistant Crops." GMO Compass. GMO Compass, 22 Dec 2006. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
<http://www.gmo-
compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/breeding_aims/147.pest_resistant_crops.html>.
"Pesticides: Health and Safety." US Environmental Protection Agency. US Environmental
Protection Agency, 9 May 2012. Web. 17 Apr 2013.
<http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/human.htm>.
"Weighing the GMO Arguments." Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
Helping to Build a World Without Hunger. Food and Agriculture Organization, n.d. Web.
28 Mar 2013. <http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/gmo7.htm>.