We all talk about technology and what it has done for agriculture but for some reason biotechnology seems to creep people out. We have been told that we’re going to have 10 billion people on the face of this earth by 2050 and that we need to produce more food with the resources we already have.
Agriculture had done a great job producing more food through technology, but the story isn’t getting out very well. Consumers still have that creep factor in their heads about GMOs and gene mapping that we’re using to grow more and higher quality food stuffs.
But let’s look at GMOs and global trade. Most of the countries that have banned using GMO seed also allow the import of those GMO products. That’s kind of hypocritical, don’t you think? So, what is the real reason some consumers or politicians have rallied against GMO products? France and Germany have banned GMOs and these countries thrive on technology. Fear and greed are the only things that come to mind, never mind humanity.
What fear should anyone have about genetically-modified corn, soybeans or sugar beets? GMOs have been around for over 20 years. Scientists have produced seed that is resistant to pests and tolerate many herbicides that are used to kill production-robbing weeds. There has been absolutely no scientific research that casts a dark shadow on GMOs which is credible.
What is surprising is that many European countries have banned growing GMO crops. These are a group of countries with citizens of high intellect. They sure seem proud of their intellectual capacity with some of the finest universities in Europe. Why don’t they trust or abide by the science of GMO food production? Especially when they must feed the hogs, cows and people, they will import GMO crops to feed them, yet why don’t they grow the crops to feed them? This is food production with technology at its finest.
Even some African nations are having trouble with GMO crops. The GDP of many African nations is among the lowest in the world. They have plenty of mouths to feed but won’t adopt drought-resistant and pest-resistant crops.
Take Kenya for example. They banned GMOs in 2012 because someone came up with a study that claimed GMO products cause cancer. Where did this study come from and why did they do it after 20 years of rigorous other studies? Does the world need to do a study for each region and corner of the earth? And does this new research come from credible sources? In my book, any study done by an activist group isn’t credible.
What is there to study about GMOs at this point in history? Agriculture technology is feeding the world and doing it with fewer resources, better yields, less water, pest resistance, less ground…what more could you ask for? If you trust the science of global warming, you should be jumping in the streets about ag biotechnology.
It’s funny how we sell food in the world. It’s all based on fear and making a buck. The organic food industry has used the fear tactic for decades; if it’s not organic it will kill you. I suppose it’s good if you’re an organic grower. I’m not picking on them, but for gosh sake let’s start telling the truth and listening to organizations that have done the heavy lifting. If there is an abundance of science to back it up, and it’s telling us it’s safe, go for it, increase your yields and make more money, improve your community.
A group called the Genetic Literacy Project did a study showing where GMOs were approved and banned. A fascinating report that showed GMOs were banned in perhaps the most liberal counties in America, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties in California and surrounding counties and Boulder County in Colorado have all banned the cultivation of GMO crops, but will allow their use. These counties are among the bluest, and greenest counties in America.
Most if not all the resistance to modern agriculture technology comes from the environmental and organic farming community and they tend to oppose them because they don’t want to understand their benefits to a larger society, or they are protecting an organically grown market.
Agriculture needs to tell our story much better. It’s remarkable that ag produces more meat, milk and fiber with at least a third fewer resources than we did 40 years ago. For the global warming crowd this should be big news, but we need to tell them and communicate better. — PETE CROW
