Genetically modified crops were first approved for human consumption in the United States in 1995, and by 1999 almost 50 percent of the corn, cotton, and soybeans planted in the United States were GM. By the end of 2010, GM crops covered more than 9.8 million square kilometres (3.8 million square miles) of land in 29 countries worldwideone-tenth of the worlds farmland. 1 We must ask ourselves, how much do we really know about GM crops? The answer is, very little. So where is all the knowledge, where is all the information, where are all the resources? The answer to this lies with reference to two types of people; namely scientists and environmentalists. These are the people that brought GM crops into existence and are mainly responsible for their development. Hence they have all the control as far as these crops are concerned. A prime example of this control is seen in the universally famous company Monsanto. In an article written by Rick Shelton to HeraldNet website, he mentions how farmers have to go back to the company each year to buy new seed instead of saving some of their crop for next year's seed. Monsanto has even sued farmers for inadvertent contamination from natural cross-breeding that can happen. 2 This website is reliable and secure from any possible vested interests regarding the concerned matter of discussion. So the authority we give to environmentalists and scientists is extensive. This leaves us in a poor situation since we lack control over the production and maintenance of these crops. Furthermore, we can not know for sure what are the real intentions of these scientists and environmentalists, and whether they 1 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/897705/geneticallymodified-organism-GMO 2 http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20131018/OPINION02/710189931
really are working for our benefit or not. An active website
calling for a March against Monsanto 3has been set up and aims to gather people to unite under a common aim and alleviate the excessive power and authority that Monsanto enjoys. A common question usually arises with respect to the source of our suspicion towards genetic modifications. The real reason for our suspicion is a mixture of scientific and personal factors including fear and uncertainty. Whenever science advances, new ideas surface and sometimes these ideas are not very positively appealing to the general public. An example of this is how before 1903, people saw flying and the manufacturing of airplanes as unnecessary, impossible and far too dangerous; yet the Wright brothers proved that it can be one of the most beneficial scientific breakthroughs that mankind has ever witnessed. Similarly, the introduction of genetically modified organisms has raised eyebrows on economic, religious and humanitarian grounds. We are yet to see the long term effects of genetic modification, and hence we are hesitant to open up towards this new concept. An article written by Shireen Karimi 4, published by Global Times on 14th July 2013, sheds light on the fact that people are still very hesitant to accept GM foods and crops, since they are concerned about the social and economic consequences GM crops could bring, including their potential impact on biodiversity. It is thus a mixture, of superstition, uncertainty, scientific evidence (or lack of evidence), fear and doubt that cause us to challenge the views of enthusiastic scientists and environmentalists towards GM crops; and hence overall leading to suspicion regarding the crops. Some people argue that enough food is produced to feed the worlds
population already, and that more effort should be put into
better food distribution. However, there are several problems with this argument. First, there are serious logistical and political obstacles that hinder redistribution. Secondly, the growing demand for meat, milk and eggs also requires far more staple crops. Agriculture is a vital part of peoples livelihood in developing countries. Even in areas where there is a food surplus, such as India, there is currently undernourishment due to serious poverty. 5 Another problem along similar lines is the fact that the wealthy citizens from wealthy countries assume themselves to be representatives of all people and think they have the authority to speak on everyones behalf. This gives them the opportunity to protect the interests at the expense of the representation of the poorer people. The rich benefit while the poor usually suffer since they have no voice, and no one to listen to them either. As a result of this, poorer countries have often found themselves in unfavourable situations where they dont really have the luxury of choosing what stance to have regarding the GM crops debate. An example of this is how the power of the US dollar means that in order to buy technology and manufactured goods, poor countries are trapped into producing more and more food for export to the States. Out of 40 of the worlds poorest countries, 36 export food to the USA. 6 It is almost obvious that the business element indeed does either directly or indirectly affect the issue in some way or another. Preventing farmers from harvesting seeds means big businesses could eventually have total control over the worlds seed supply and prices. Currently, just three mega companies control over half of the global seed market, 5 http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/sites/default/files/GM%20Crops %20short%20version%20FINAL.pdf 6 http://standingagainstoppression.wordpress.com/tag/gmo/
which has caused prices to skyrocket7. For example, the
average price of planting an acre of soybeans has gone up 325 percent since 1995. Things get even scarier when you consider Monsanto has developed and owns a patent on a terminator gene which can make a plant produce sterile seeds. Industrial farming reduces biodiversity as agribusinesses clear the land of all native plants and focus on producing only one type of crop. This large-scale monoculture crop production has resulted in a 75 percent reduction in plant diversity since the 1900s. GM farms make things worse because not only do they produce a single plant species (e.g. corn, soybeans, rice), but all the plants within the species come from one modified source plant and are genetically identical. Having such unvaried crops is troublesome as it makes our food supply particularly susceptible to climate change, disease, and pests. Furthermore, businesses like Monsanto are further hampering biodiversity by systematically buying up seed firms and replacing tried and true conventional varieties with their higher-priced, genetically engineered versions. While some argue Monsantos ultimate goal is to control the worlds food supply, its more likely their motivation is simply higher profits. After all, they make much more money by selling their patented, expensive, must-buyevery-season seeds than by offering quality traditional seeds.