by In this unit, we mainly focused on the biotechnology, as well as the consequences it would bring to human society. From the chapters of reading assignment, the debate regarding biotechnology has been raised, and I would like to elaborate a little bit more on our readings, to analyze some of the possible benefits and problems that biotechnology, and GMOs could bring to our lives. To be specific, I will focus mainly on the GM crops, an application of genetically modification techniques which used in agriculture to improve crop yields and reduce farming costs.
The first area to concern is about human health. When thinking about how could GM crops benefit human bodies, the first answer jump into my mind is that they can be used to improve human nutritional standards by incorporating genes for certain proteins, vitamin or vaccines. For example, in order to improve the situation that many people become blindness due to the lack of vitamin A, two scientists launched the “Golden Rice Project”. Golden rice is a genetically modified crop, which become able to produce beta carotene, which is not normally produced in rice. Beta carotene will be converted into Vitamin A during our metabolism process, thus help improve health problems including blindness. (Golden Rice Project, 2005) Besides the additional nutrient GM crops could bring to human beings, they can also be manufactured (genetically modified) with those allergens or toxins eliminated. For instance, some crops contain substance A which may lead to allergy for some people. However, after genetically modification, the gene which produce substance A may be eliminated, so that those people can still enjoy eating that crop. However, the inclusion or removal of certain genes could trigger unexpected adverse health reactions in some individuals. Though current research up to now show no direct evidence that genetically modified organisms or food may cause health risk, it’s too hurry to say that GMOs and GMFs are safe. Besides for the potential danger of GM technology, currently, not all foods with GM components are labelled, making consumers difficult to make choice based on limited information.
Besides from the health aspect, another focus of debate land on the Economic consequence. Many people believe that GM crops would bring extraordinary economic benefit as it can make growth easier. Firstly, GM crops can include genes to enable them to grow in a wider range of environments. In that case, the ideal growth place will no longer be restricted to areas with appropriate temperature or humidity, but can also include places with drought, frost or salinity lands. In addition, some countries with unsatisfactory environment such as Africa can also grow crops in their own land, instead of import from other countries. Secondly, GM crops can be manufactured to produce greater yields, so that crops can potentially grow larger and faster. With the limited amount of time, more crops can be harvested. Thirdly, GM crops can include genes which slow the rate of spoiling, leading to longer shelf lives for GM foods. Besides, GM crops may possess resistance to certain viruses or produce toxins to pests. Thus, it can reduce need for the use of pesticides, and avoid scanty crop caused by locust calamity. Overall, an improved yield, reduction in farming costs and ability to farm more land will provide an economic benefit to farmers. However, drawbacks also exist. Among all of them, there’s one major concern: patent protection allows biotech companies to restrict the use of seeds, and farmers may have to pay high prices for use/grow these GM seeds.
Last but not least, is the environmental concerns. The generation of pest-resistant crops means that less chemical insecticides will be released into the environment, which could be considered as a benefit. However, serious problems also exist regarding the biodiversity. In 2001, a study was conducted by scientists to investigate the association between exposure to Bt corn pollen and survivor rates among larva of a type of butterfly called monarch caterpillars. Bt corn is a genetically modified maize that incorporates an insecticide producing gene from a bacterium. This insecticide is lethal to certain types of larvae that threat the growth of crops. However, the pollen from Bt corn will be spread via wind and dust on the leave of milkweed, which is the food source of monarch caterpillars. When scientists compare the growth and mortality rates between caterpillars fed on normal leaves and leaves dusted with GM pollens, they fund that caterpillars exposed to Bt pollen were found to have eaten less, grew more slowly and exhibited higher mortality rates. (Sears et al. 2001) Though this experiment was proved wrong as there are some errors regarding methodology, it still warns us of the potential side-effects GM crops may have on environment. GM crops not only could potentially reduce biodiversity in a region by competing with indigenous plant life, but also could negatively affect certain organisms within the ecosystem. Besides these, cross-pollination by GM crops could also result in the formation of herbicide-resistant weeds and grasses, or “super weeds” that threat other organisms in that ecosystem.
In the debate dominated by scientists and those anti-GMO organizations, some views are left in the dark. Ironically, the unheard voices are those of the inhabitants of the developing countries. When considering these benefits and drawbacks, we shouldn’t leave the subject of discussion blank: they are really those who need GM technologies, and their countries should be the place where the technology should be implanted. Luckily, with the support of activists now in this debate, voices from developing countries are starting to emerge. However, as their voices are often broadcast by activist organization, we may wonder: what are the developing country farmers true beliefs? Their viewpoints are lost in the debate, prompting ethical concerns over who should get to decide what crops to plant in a particular country or region. Who indeed has the rights to decide? Who want and who doesn’t?
Finally, I would like to say that the ending of this topic will never be a definite statement. Instead, it should be more questions: Should we have genetically modified foods? And, since we do, how ought they be regulated? How do we weigh values and risk in biotechnology? And, finally, is the genetic modification of food necessary to relieve world hunger? Even now, there’s no definite answers. This is what we should work on.
References:
Golden Rice Project. 2005. “Golden Rice is part of the solution.” Retrieved Nov. 6, 2020 (http://goldenrice.org)
Mark. K. Sears, Richard. L. Hellmich, Diane. E. Stanley-Horn, Karen. S. Oberhauser, John. M. Pleasants, Heather. R. Mattila, Blair. D. Siegfried, and Galen. P. Dively. 2001. “Impact of Bt corn pollen on monarch butterfly populations: A risk assessment.” National Academy of Sciences, 98(21), 11937–11942. doi: 10.1073/pnas.211329998