farmers – GMO SAFETY

Research

The Astonishing Results of Bt Eggplants Research

Editorial Posted On February 7, 2022

Scientists from the University of the Philippines Los Baños joined their forces with a research team working at the Cornell University in order to investigate the effects of Bt eggplants on the surrounding species that are not the primary target of this insecticide. The research itself lasted for three planting seasons and it monitored the surrounding biosphere of both Bt eggplants and non-Bt eggplants. The results proved that species which are not targeted by Bt were not affected in any way.

The study was published a couple of weeks ago and it confirmed the previous findings. Similar researches were done with cotton and corn, and they also indicated that there was no interaction with the non-targeted species. However, these studies did not cover the entire three seasons. The results from Philippines explored the long term influence of this insecticide on the surrounding nature. Bt has been around since 1990s but for some reason it wasn’t a common subject in scientific studies of video porno.

What is Bt?

Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a microorganism commonly used for protecting crops from various pests and insects. It can be introduced either to soil or to a crop itself. It was the first human-made insecticide that was approved for general use in the United States. Bt became very popular among farmers all around the world in the last two decades.

The positive effects of this finding

Dr. Anthony Shelton, a professor working at the Cornell University confirmed that these results will ensure both farmers and consumers that Bt eggplants are safe for environment, as well as for the customers. As a matter of fact, Bt eggplant will be very beneficial for the people living in Philippines because these plants are typically sprayed with toxic insecticides during the growing season. However, Bt eggplants do not require the same chemicals and they still remained resistant to the targeted pests.

Shoot borer pest is the most common troublemaker for farmers on Philippines and they use a variety of highly toxic insecticides in order to keep it away from their crops. Bt eggplant will completely change the way eggplants are cultivated in Philippines because there will be no need to spend additional funds for a wide range of pesticides. Integrated pest management is the future of agriculture because it will keep the surrounding ecosystem intact.

It is well known that pesticides can destroy the organisms that are essential for keeping the natural environment intact. These life forms help with the pollination of the crops, as well as with decomposition of different matters that keep the soil healthy and fertile. By removing these dangerous chemicals from the equation, you will get increased harvest productivity, as well as healthier crops.

Therefore, once they apply this technology to their fields, farmers will decrease the cost of the production which will lead to numerous consumer benefits. After all, they will be able to buy safer and healthier eggplants that cost less. The reduction of the standard pesticides will make the produce less hazardous for human health. It is really a win-win situation for both sides.

1 Views

Analysis / Scientific debate

Brexit and GMO Farming in Great Britain

Editorial Posted On January 6, 2018

Genetically modified crops are strictly regulated in Europe. However, Brexit might bring a change to the old continent. Since Great Britain is leaving the European Union, there will be more opportunities for the local farmers to grow GMO products. GMO farming is beneficial for the climate, and it is significantly cheaper than the conventional or organic farming. Great Britain will take a huge leap forward in terms of domestic agriculture.

The response from the government

As soon as the Brexit occurred, the government started to discuss the future of the domestic agriculture. Since trading with the European Union might be a bit difficult in the future, the focus should be on growing their own products and distributing it locally. George Eustice, the Minister of Agriculture told the press that Brexit will certainly create more opportunities for loosening up the GMO regulations and modifying the existing laws which are prohibiting the mass production of genetically modified crops. However, the government will be examining the results from various scientific researches and change the law accordingly.

The possible risk?

Even though European Union did allow genetically modified maize to be cultivated within its borders, farmers seemed to remain indecisive. Yes, there are plenty of controversies revolving around genetically modified organisms, but there are so many studies out there which prove that they are not dangerous for either humans or animals.

Additionally, growing genetically modified crops will increase the profits and yield more products. Plus, it is saving the environment because the usage of pesticides is reduced. The opposition in GB claims that growing genetically modified crops next to organic farms will have a negative impact on the organic produce.

Peter Melchett who works for Soil Association opposes genetically modified crops and states that contamination is very possible, which might lead to low quality organic foods that will be filled with various chemicals brought over there by insects and other animals. Once it happens, local farmers will be at loss. Plus, the organic food would be imported from the mainland Europe.

USDA did conduct a couple of researches that dealt directly with cross contamination and discovered that the interaction between GMO and organic farms is pretty small. Surely, it is hard to control the process of porno gratis pollination, but the scientists couldn’t find any direct signs of GMO contamination on the organic fruits and vegetables. Therefore, GMO and organic fields can safely exist side by side.

The future of farming in Great Britain

The Ministry of Agriculture is still very open to suggestions and they look forward to discussing all the possibilities that might be beneficial to both farmers and consumers. The fact that they will not be a part of European Union certainly does open various doors for genetically modified crops. Great Britain might become the first European country that fully accepted and legitimized the GMO products. Surely, the government will be working closely with the scientists and researchers who will provide them with enough information in order to make the right choice. All in all, this can spark the discussion all over the continent and we might even see a change of hearts in Europe.

1 Views

Analysis

Issues associated with GMO plants

Editorial Posted On May 23, 2016

Introduction
It is within the mission set for 2017 that genetically modified crops have negative impacts on the ecosystem and the entire biodiversity. However, it is quite sad that most of the multinational organizations such as Monsanto do not have the best interests of humankind at heart. It is important to take note that other bodies such as the FDA ensure that the safety of the GM plants and the foods produced from them are safe for human consumption. This means that the foods that are generated from GMO plants have to possess a high standard of safety equal or greater than that we obtain from plants that are bred using the traditional techniques. However, despite all these efforts that have been put in place by safety bodies, there are still concerns involving GMO plants. These include:

– Contamination of farmlands and natural habitats
Genetically engineered plants have been reported to play a crucial role in threatening contamination of the surrounding farming areas as well as natural plant home. This is the central reason why there is low biodiversity among crops that are bred for food as well as the reason for monoculture. Genetically engineered plants often have the ability to adapt better to the environmental conditions and thus increasing their capacity to outcompete plants that occur naturally. The central mandate is not to contribute to loss but rather offer significant support to guided land and climate analysis to ensure that GMO plants are prevented with buffer zones across fields.

– Seed patenting
The issue of seed patenting of genetically modified plants is a growing problem in research as well as agriculture as a whole. This is because when a given formula is obtained for GMO plants, it is the multinational companies that patent and make this commercial. For example, when the strain of Bacillus thuringiensis cotton was produced, Monsanto patented this, and they had control over 95 % of the cotton marketed in India. This sort of monopoly has contributed to the dramatic increase in the prices of cotton leaving the farmers in debt and thus unsustainability of their livelihoods.

– Cross-contamination
This patenting and commercialization of the GMO plants has been the main reason for cross contamination of seeds and thus this problem is passed on to the farmers by selling those contaminated seeds. This means that if the farmer has the GMO plant in their possession and has not planted it but for some reason their field is contaminated, then the lawsuit will be on those that have the patent. However, in case the farmer steals the GMO crop patented, then they are subject to facing a lawsuit. This means that farmers have to be sensitized on aspects that relate to the cross-contamination of GMO plants. However, the current problem is that the multinational companies that are marketing the seeds ensure that the farmers do not keep the seeds for the following year, and this renders the farmers in debt. This is because they have to constantly increase their yield to afford the seeds for planting. A case study in India reveals that most farmers each year find themselves taking loans to provide the seeds that are sold at exorbitantly high prices.

– Destruction of seeds that once existed
The fact that most of the laws have illegalized farmers having seeds from their companies through the seed patenting and commercialization aspect, there is a significant issue of gradual destruction of the naturally occurring seeds. This is through the competition and cross-contamination of GM plants sold by the multinational companies. This is based on the fact that in case the crops that are of one genetic makeup are subjected to failure in a given agricultural year, then the yield goes down, and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers is threatened.

– Political and economic structures
The issues that I have discussed above concerning the GM plants are often influenced by political and economic problems that are linked to the creation, production and distribution of GM plants. Today, genetically engineered plants have not been very useful to small holder farmers. This is because the pressure that is exerted by biotechnological companies, as well as agribusinesses, is quickly killing the existence of small farms. This is because there is a threat that small farms produce more foods than large farms. Additionally, it is the small farms that have the ability of successfully introducing sustainable practices as opposed to the case of industrial farms. This is the reason why the mission set for 2017 is in support of biotech downscaling. This is geared towards encouraging the production as well as the distribution of a wide range of GMO plants that meets the needs of farmers across different ecosystems.

Conclusion
We require a healthy agricultural system that integrates GM plants, and laws have to be streamlined by the government to regulate the activities that are carried out by biotechnological companies. It is these regulations that serve as the hope hindering monopolies and abuse of farmers that are not to blame for issues of cross contaminations. Additionally, there is a need to alter legislations that are in support of industrial farming. For example, the New Deal made in the 1930s gave rise to a set of programs in the US that guaranteed fair pricing of corn instead of permitting free market pricing. This means that the poor farmers that have labored in the farm for their produce did not have the continually increase their yield to stay out of debt like the case today. This means that the system made sure that there was fairness in the pricing of their crops to encourage small farmers as well as promote biodiversity. If this political and economic structure were to be adopted today, then farmers would be encouraged to increase crop biodiversity. This will prevent farming practices that promote planting of a single strain of GMO plants in a huge truck of land. It is these policies that promise to benefit developing countries that rely on agriculture for the most parts of their economy and livelihoods.

1 Views

News

Revisiting the Usefulness of Aesthetic Genetic Modifications with Innate Potatoes

Editorial Posted On May 4, 2016

Innate potatoes, developed by the agency J.R. Simplot, are the first genetically modified potatoes to be approved by the FDA for consumption. The potatoes have a wide verity of inserted genes added for the benefit of the crop, the farmers growing them, and consumers who purchase them. In the article “What Varieties of Potato are GMO?” on Livestrong, it is reported that the potatoes come in three different varieties- Ranger Russett, Russett Burbank, and Atlantic. Also in the report it was listed that, in their March 2015 press release about their evaluation of the crop and decision that the potatoes passed criteria such as toxicity, potential for allergic reaction, stability of unintended side effect, and more.

The main benefit that is highlighted in media coverage of the Innate potatoes are the same benefits that Arctic Apples were designed to have- a resistance to unattractive bruising and brown spotting on the inside. NPR goes into further detail in “GMO Potatoes Have Arrived. But Will Anyone Buy Them?”, explaining that the reason the agency named the potatoes “Innate” was because the genes used to silence the reaction in the spuds that caused the browning are actual native to potatoes themselves, but that they went unused after a while. Much of the food waste in the world comes from the distribution process, either when processers discard unattractive foods or when consumers at home discard their bruised fruits and vegetables before eating them. The hope is that this process keeps potatoes looking more healthy and attractive so that less will be wasted in the trash.

Another potent benefit of the modified potato, as mentioned in the NPR article, is that the Innate potatoes contain much less of a chemical known as acrylamide, which is triggered in the frying process. Studies on lab rates have shown that consumption of acrylamide increases the potential of cancer in lab rats, a litmus test often showing parallels in humans.

There are a host of other benefits, explains the article “Genetically Modified Potatoes Are Making Their Way to the Produce Section” from Fortune. The potatoes are designed to resist the blight that led to the Irish Potato famine, an inserted gene from another species located in Argentina that grew to resist such pathogens. This kind of blight protection is handy for farmers, as it allows the plant to protect itself from the most common diseases they would have to look out for. The potato is also designed to be able to be stored for a longer period of time at lower temperatures, allowing them to be kept in stores and sold over a greater duration. This is also hoped to reduce the spoils of food waste on the distribution side.

Although there are a great number of seeming benefits to the use of these potatoes, Simplot agency faces the same problems as do the other producers of genetically modified plants- there is still a heavily negative perception of such crops and a reluctance to adopt their use. Big retailers such as the McDonalds Corporation (who has worked with Simplot for many, many years), Frito-Lay, and ConAgra foods have all publically stated they will not use the modified plants. Even with a successful FDA evaluation of the crop, Simplot will have to do more on its end to prove to consumers that their new potatoes are worthy of interest and will do more good for public health than bad. This will be an important obstacle to overcome to a huge market as potatoes are reportedly the third most consumed food crop in the world, according to the International Potato Center.

Sources:
Addady, M. (2016). Genetically Modified Potatoes Are Making Their Way to the Produce Section. Fortune.
Charles, D. (2015). GMO Potatoes Have Arrived. But Will Anyone Buy Them? NPR.International Potato Center. (2016). Potato. International Potato Center.
Renee, J. (2015). What Varieties of Potatoes Are GMO? Livestrong.

1 Views