Gm Foods
Loh Pei Ting Peggie
Introduction
The 21st century has presented a major set of converging threats as the pressures of population growth, climate change and food insecurity are driving the world towards worsening hunger and malnutrition. Many people argue that Genetically Modified (GM) crops are promoted as a ‘Miracle Solution’ to solve the food shortage crisis since the use of genetic engineering enables genetic materials to be modified and in turn creates new varieties that exhibit desirable characteristics such as resistant to drought, pest, and herbicides and improves their nutritional value (Uzogara, 2000: 183). Thus, when distinctive challenges are tackled, they lead to higher production capacities. However, one billion of people are still bearing the brunt of a vicious cycle of hunger and poverty (Chrispeels, 2000: 3). GM crops have enabled increasing food production, but they are not sufficient to attain food security. Achieving food security is imperative as it ensures all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that is essential for leading a healthy and active life (McDonald, 2010: 15).
Therefore, this essay attempts to analyze to what extent this miracle solution can help to solve food security problems through the differing views between opponents and supporters. On one side of the heated discourse are people who firmly believe that GM is definitely not the route to food security and poverty alleviation because the root cause of hunger is caused by access and inequality, and not by inadequate food production. On the other side are mainly biotechnology multinationals that are aware of the commercial interests that can be generated from the sale of GM crops, therefore they attempt to bring them into the country and establish that they are the solution to hunger in a bid to hide their motives.
Greed Versus Need The adoption of GM crops to solve food security has ignited
Introduction
The 21st century has presented a major set of converging threats as the pressures of population growth, climate change and food insecurity are driving the world towards worsening hunger and malnutrition. Many people argue that Genetically Modified (GM) crops are promoted as a ‘Miracle Solution’ to solve the food shortage crisis since the use of genetic engineering enables genetic materials to be modified and in turn creates new varieties that exhibit desirable characteristics such as resistant to drought, pest, and herbicides and improves their nutritional value (Uzogara, 2000: 183). Thus, when distinctive challenges are tackled, they lead to higher production capacities. However, one billion of people are still bearing the brunt of a vicious cycle of hunger and poverty (Chrispeels, 2000: 3). GM crops have enabled increasing food production, but they are not sufficient to attain food security. Achieving food security is imperative as it ensures all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that is essential for leading a healthy and active life (McDonald, 2010: 15).
Therefore, this essay attempts to analyze to what extent this miracle solution can help to solve food security problems through the differing views between opponents and supporters. On one side of the heated discourse are people who firmly believe that GM is definitely not the route to food security and poverty alleviation because the root cause of hunger is caused by access and inequality, and not by inadequate food production. On the other side are mainly biotechnology multinationals that are aware of the commercial interests that can be generated from the sale of GM crops, therefore they attempt to bring them into the country and establish that they are the solution to hunger in a bid to hide their motives.
Greed Versus Need The adoption of GM crops to solve food security has ignited
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