Is it the high time that we accepted GM Foods (Genetically Modified)?

Let’s be realistic for a minute or so. The world’s population is estimated to have risen beyond 6 billion. W h a t? I know you are also shocked by the figure as I was when I first learnt this truth me. The human population is on a high steep. And it is exponentially on the rise. If the statistics projected have any truth in them, then in the next 50 years we expect the number to double: we are talking of some 12 or so billions of people on earth.

This may sound ridiculous especially if you consider the fact that the human population seems to have already filled the earth. We seem to be everywhere and it looks like no space is left for additional human settlement. Not unless humans invade forested areas and regions meant for wildlife reserve. Does it seem tricky?

 
 

What is Current Position of Food Security for all These People?
Do think of all this in terms of food security. We all know that food is a basic human requirement. All the above info suggests that human might face the growing challenge of food security in the years to come. But let’s face it now.

Even today, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of human beings who die from hunger from different parts of the world each year. For humans to evade this situation or a possibility of its occurrence in the future, we will have to embrace a promising source of livelihood in terms of food. Think of Genetically Modified foods (GM).

Presently, GM foods seem to provide the most desired solution to alleviate food insecurity in the world. Yet there are a lot of mysteries, misunderstandings and several indifferences about the consumption of GM foods.

There are a lot of things that the general population may not be aware of about GM even as much as they raise their voices to object to them. One most explicit fact is that the human population has rapidly grown and to feed it, alternative sources of foods have to be sought apart from the conventional methods of organic food production. The best alternative in such a case seems the embrace of genetically modified foods.

If humans don’t want to see the less disadvantaged groups of people in the society dying of hunger, then it is the high time that we appreciated the production of GM foods which has been criticized and banned in several countries around the world. GM food help to contribute to the production of extra stocks of foods thus making available an additional output to normal production. The extra is essential to help feed a few scores of the human population — which could be millions — hence not a bad idea.

This is not the only problem that GM foods could solve for the rising human population. There are others that we need to explore and they include:

Pest resistance

Pests form a big challenge in the production of adequate food production today. Pests have the ability to lower food production by a very high margin.

When we talk about absolute organic foods, we are actually discussing foods, fruits and vegetables, which are not subject to any pest control in all the stages of their lifestyle. They grow to maturity naturally.

Typically, if we are realistic enough, it will mean that the production will be minimal and may not be adequate to cater for the whole human population. This is quite pathetic. There are some people who will be totally against foods which are subjected to pesticides control and will be reluctant to eat such foods. If the whole general population is like this, then it will be very hard to provide the necessary food volume needed to feed them which pose many problems. However, GM foods are pest resistance and could provide the requisite solution to such problems.

There are also several challenges in the adequate production of organic foods. These challenges encompass several factors which organic foods are not tolerant of. They include:

Drought tolerance

The emphasis of green energy has most influence from climatic changes which are leading to desertification and aridity in most parts of the world. Agricultural lands which were once arable and productive are turning arid and less or no food harvest is obtained on them without an artificial water supply. This is a burden to many livelihoods and families and thus the access to organic foods may not be within reach.

Unless such people are ready to starve to death, they could accept GM foods which are drought resistance and could be optimally produced in arid areas.

Other agricultural challenges faced by organic foods and not inherent in GM foods include cold resistance and herbicides resistance. The good news is that GM foods are free from these challenges and their general acceptance could see a situation whereby adequate food can be produced to match the growing human population.