GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are becoming a part of our world. I think there are many reasons why this is a good thing, and I’m going to give you 3 of them. Then I’ll explain why there are no concerns relating to GMOs that have any scientific basis for them. Let’s begin.

First of all, the world population is growing at a faster rate than ever: there will be almost 10 billion humans on this Earth by 2050. According to many estimates, including those from BBC and the United Nations, our world cannot support that many people with current technologies. It is simply not possible. But GMOs can help.The Word Resources Organisation notes that GMOs will be an essential tool in sustaining 10 billion people. And they do this by modifying animals or plants to be more nutritious and less likely to fail. Therefore, the same amount of land can be used to grow more food, and therefore that same amount of land can feed more people.

This leads nicely into my next point, which is the benefit to farmers. Last year, over 17 billion dollars was lost from failed crops. This can be reduced with the use of GMOS. For example, a gene from a fish which allows it to survive in very cold temperatures has been implanted into a tomato. Its antifreeze properties mean the crops do not fail in cold temperatures. It also means that the plant can now be grown in areas which were previously thought to just be too cold. This is just the tip of the iceberg - there are so many use cases just like this one, which will deliver huge benefits to farmers.

Finally, let’s turn to the benefit to the environment. GMOs reduce the need for harmful pesticides, because the effects of the pesticides can effectively be built into the plants themselves. Over the last 20 years, GMOs have reduced pesticide applications by 8.2% and helped increase crop yields by 22%. But wait, there’s more. Genetically modified plants can be designed to decompose into the ground after a certain time period, reducing the need for tilling and ploughing, which saves fuel costs. In 2016 alone, GMOs reduced the amount of fuel used equivalent to taking 16 million cars off the road for an entire year.

Now, to the problems. Or rather, not to the problems… because there are none.

The main concerns that people have with GMOs are these.

-Creating foods that can cause an allergic reaction or that are toxic

-Unexpected or harmful genetic changes

-Genes moving from one GM plant or animal to another plant or animal that is not genetically engineered

-Foods that are less nutritious

These concerns have proven to be unfounded. None of the GE foods used today have caused any of these problems. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assesses all GE foods to make sure they are safe before allowing them to be sold.

I hope I have convinced you that GMOs cause huge benefits, while causing no real problems. Thank you.

Well, I cannot argue against what is, in my opinion, the next advancement in agricultural technology.

As a result of global climate changes certain existing farming methods and the genetic make up of crops we are experiencing ever diminishing harvests of essential foodstuffs.

G.M.O,s will help to off-set the food shortages caused by climate change generated crop failures and can evolve to meet the challenges of future extreme weather.