Genetic Modification of Crops

In our world today, food security is a major point of concern. There are several parts of the world that lack adequate supply of food to meet the population of people living in that area. Consequently, the need for genetically modified crops which will help increase food production and provide adequate food for different populations in different places.

According to the Royal Society, "Genetic modification of plants involves adding a specific stretch of DNA into the plant's genome, giving it new or different characteristics. This could include changing the way the plant grows, or making it resistant to a particular disease. The new DNA becomes part of the GM plant's genome which the seeds produced by these plants will contain."

Some crops that have been genetically modified are corn, soybeans, tomatoes, potatoes, summer squash, apples and so on. The benefits of these modifications are not farfetched as they range from increased crop yield to tastier food, more nutritious food, disease and drought-resistant crops, and faster supply of the crops among others.

Nonetheless, geneticists believe that there are still some disadvantages of these crops which could be increased antibiotic resistance which may be toxic for organisms, and the fact that some of these foods could cause allergic reactions due to the heavy use of chemicals on them.

The reality however is that genetically modified crops have come to stay in our world and the only thing that can be done is to find way to continuously make them better and suitable for human consumption.

Sources

https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/gm-plants/what-is-gm-and-how-is-it-done/

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-gene-edited-crops-are-the-future-of-food-modification-2016-6