Background Information on GM
Continued advancements in science and technology have tremendously revolutionized how different challenges facing humankind are addressed with long-lasting solutions. In the same measure, science and technology are also closely linked to some of the modern-day challenges facing humanity; drawing from this parallel, society is divided on specific contributions of science and technology contributions and their place in modern society. One of the main contributions of science and technology is on the topic of genetically modified organizations (GMO), science and technology’s contribution to the challenge of food scarcity globally. GMOs have however become one of the most controversial topics drawing support and opposition in equal measure.
Genetic modification (GM) is a branch of biotechnology concerned with altering or manipulating the genetic makeup of organisms, both plants and animals so that the modified genetic machinery can perform specific functions. Modern biotechnology in changing the genetic composition of living organisms differs significantly from the age-old practices of selective breeding and artificial selection. According to the UN’s Food Administration Organization (FAO), GMOs are food items that do not occur naturally through processes such as natural mating or recombination (Raman, 2017). The process of manipulating the genetics of an organism results in the production of genotypes highly characterized with a degree of precision that was not previously available. Despite the opposition from naturalists and environmentalists’ views against GMO foods, GMOs are an alternative source of cheaper food to feed the growing global population.
Arguments for GMO
GMO foods and related genetic engineering are a source of solutions to food production challenges.
The global population has explosively grown over the past few decades and is still projected to record exponential growth; FAO projects the population to reach a record high of 9.7 billion people by 2050. One challenge that has consistently accompanied the rapid growth is the increased demand for adequate food with the proper nutritional value. However, according to Raman (2017), the current traditional agriculture that is still predominant in most parts of the world cannot adequately sustain the population, and eradicate challenges associated with nutritional deficiencies such as malnutrition and hunger, both current and in the future. The continued increase in demand has increased demand for the four popular global crops of maize, soybean, rice, and wheat; however, the production rate needs to be consistent with the demand for each crop (Raman, 2017). The current deficit in production points to more challenges toward sustaining the global population with adequate food by 2050. Zhang et al. (2016) identify one more compounding challenge, the decrease in arable land; the current amount of arable land available for producing food is predicted to decrease from 0.242 ha to 0.18 ha by the year 2050 when the population shall have also doubled; this poses more concern on how best to sustain the populations both at present and in the future (Zhang et al., 2016). With the ability to be modified to suit certain specifics, GMO foods have proven to be a source of mitigating food shortages and still hold on to providing future food and nutritional needs of the global population.
Climate change is rapidly contributing to the scarcity of natural resources. Despite countries becoming highly efficient in their agricultural systems, other factors such as unsustainable urbanization, deforestation, and rapid industrialization contribute to climate change that directly impacts food production by making natural resources scarce for crop care (Raman, 2017). Depletion of water resources, alteration of temperatures in different parts of the world, and the rising in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions are directly linked to the reduction of nutritional value in different crops (Smyth, 2019). Increased carbon dioxide emissions lead to lower levels of critical nutrients, including zinc, iron, and proteins in staple foods; this contributes to foods with low national value.
However, the adoption of GMO foods has the potential to reverse the effects and impacts of climate change on food production, with a myriad of benefits associated with the technology accruing to humankind. According to Smyth (2019), genetic engineering applied in altering an organism’s genetic composition allows for the modification of the genes to produce the desired crops or animals (Smyth, 2019). Biofortified GMOs allow for the development of crops with the right micronutrient and macronutrient contents, which produces more nutritious food crops and animals. In complementing the significance of GMOs in improving the nutrient composition of food crops, Kovak et al. (2022) posit the significant role of GMOs in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially carbon dioxide, whose accumulation in the atmosphere reduces the nutritional value of various foods. Based on practical research in Europe, the evidence further supports GMO yield gains mitigating land use changes and related emissions (Kovak et al., 2022). Negative impacts of climate change on temperature changes as a result of global warming limiting food production is mitigated by GMO food since genes can be modified to produce both heat and cold-resistant crop varieties to survive in extreme environments, alongside supporting fast-growing and maturing crops and animals (Karalis et al., 2020).GMOs is, therefore largely successful in producing cheaper, more nutritious, and adequate food with minimum demand on resources to meet the global population’s food needs by mitigating and countering the effects of challenges threatening agriculture currently and in the foreseeable future.
Arguments against GMO
Despite its tangible evidence in addressing the challenges facing food production, controversial concerns are labelled at GMO foods and the associated biotechnology techniques. Much of the concerns of naturalists and environmentalists, who are vehemently opposed to GE technologies, are on the impacts of the technology on both the environment and human health. According to naturalists and environmentalists, the negative impacts of genetic engineering outweigh its benefits to humanity and the environment.
With increased adoption and application of genetically engineered(GE) crops and other organisms, there are rising more troubling and unprecedented concerns over technology’s impacts on the environment. Several justifications have been put forward on how GE technology is profoundly threatening biodiversity and the ecosystem with threats not only to the existence of natural plants and wildlife but also to human beings. Ghimire et al. (2023), in their assessment of the benefits and risks associated with GMO crops and the accompanying genetic engineering technology, impact the environment negatively by impacting non-target organisms, the farmers, and their indigenous crops since they all become competitors to GMO products. The monarch butterfly controversy is a case in point justifying the negative assertion of the antagonists of GE engineering; the monarch butterfly died after feeding on milkweed treated with genetically modified pollens of corn. The controversy brought to the fore the potential impacts that different organisms in the environment are subjected to from applying GE techniques and products (Ghimire et al., 2023). According to Teferra (2021), there is strong scientific evidence of interaction between GMO plants and the environment; modified genes present in the GMO plants are transferable to other plants within an ecosystem by way of pollination, thus resulting in genetic contamination. Genetically modified plant varieties have an undue competitive disadvantage against their wild or indigenous varieties leading to them not surviving, therefore leading to the disappearance or fall in the population of the wild varieties; loss of biodiversity (Teferra, 2021). GE techniques applied in developing GMO foods lead to irreversible biological pollution, which forever changes the ecosystem, contributing to biodiversity loss.
GMOs are a health hazard. Applying GE techniques in developing organisms with specific qualities leads to introducing foreign genes, bacteria and virus vectors, and antibiotic makers in human food. Shen et al. (2022), in a systematic review of various animal and human studies, identified significant health concerns in consumers of GMO products; in 37 identified incidences of adverse effects associated with GMO, 59.46% reported incidences of mortality, cancer, decreased cognitive capabilities, and organ abnormalities, especially kidney and liver. Consumption of GE maize, rice, wheat, and soybean also contributes to allergic reactions, weight gain, blood biochemistry alteration, and certain cancer strains (Shen et al., 2022). Despite being presented as a solution to the challenges of sustainable food production, from a naturalist’s point of view, GMOs pose immense health concerns to human beings. However, the existing scientific evidence is limited to supporting and corroborating the arguments against GMO foods and GE techniques to counter their associated benefits.
Discussion and Conclusion
Despite the limitations and adverse effects levelled against GMO foods and the associated techniques applied in modifying and engineering the genetics of organisms, it provides valuable solutions to the food challenge. Drawing from past technological implications on the provision of solution to various issues that have faced mankind, it is unlikely and implausible that GMO food and GE techniques would be stopped dead in their tracks; the immediate and accruing benefits associated with GMO are highly visible and tangible that setting them aside out of the fear of disadvantages of unknown and mostly unproven would constitute an unprecedented move detrimental to the survival of humankind. The immense positive contributions in agricultural economics, food technology and security, contribution to sustainable development goals(SDGs) such as poverty eradication, zero hunger, and climate change , and supporting emerging innovative trends and industries cannot be downgraded and ignored based on limited scientific and peer reviewed publications and NGO reports advanced with a lot of bias.
Advancement in GMO foods consumption has been challenged by existing conspiracy theories. There is a need therefore for experts and other protagonists of GMO to counter the effects of such theories by engaging in strategic communication strategies to help change people’s knowledge and attitude towards GMO foods by disseminating factual information to counter the fallacies advanced on unfounded scientific grounds. Information exposure is therefore critical in demystifying the controversies and hearsays around a technology with the highest potential of addressing, sustainably, food security in the world.
References
Ghimire, B. K., Yu, C. Y., Kim, W.-R., Moon, H.-S., Lee, J., Kim, S. H., & Chung, I. M. (2023). Assessment of benefits and risk of genetically modified plants and products: Current controversies and perspective. Sustainability, 15(2), 1722. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021722
Karalis, D. T., Karalis, T., Karalis, S., & Kleisiari, A. S. (2020). Genetically modified products, perspectives and challenges. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.7306
Kovak, E., Blaustein-Rejto, D., & Qaim, M. (2022). Genetically modified crops support climate change mitigation. Trends in Plant Science, 27(7), 627–629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.01.004
Raman, R. (2017). The impact of genetically modified (GM) crops in modern agriculture: A Review. GM Crops & Food, 8(4), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645698.2017.1413522
Shen, C., Yin, X.-C., Jiao, B.-Y., Li, J., Jia, P., Zhang, X.-W., Cheng, X.-H., Ren, J.-X., Lan, H.-D., Hou, W.-B., Fang, M., Li, X., Fei, Y.-T., Robinson, N., & Liu, J.-P. (2022, January 13). Evaluation of adverse effects/events of genetically modified food consumption: A systematic review of Animal and Human Studies – Environmental Sciences Europe. SpringerOpen. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-021-00578-9
Smyth, S. J. (2019). The human health benefits from gm crops. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 18(4), 887–888. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13261
Teferra, T. F. (2021). Should we still worry about the safety of Gmo Foods? why and why not? A Review. Food Science & Nutrition, 9(9), 5324–5331. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2499
Zhang, C., Wohlhueter, R., & Zhang, H. (2016). Genetically Modified Foods: A Critical Review of their promise and Problems. Food Science and Human Wellness, 5(3), 116–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2016.04.002
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