GENETIC ENGINEERING: A SOLUTION TO HUMAN PROBLEMS

Genetic Engineering is a discipline of engineering that deals with the alteration in genetic structure of an organism to get a set of required traits, it is the direct manipulation of the genome of an organism using Biotechnology.[1] But the developments to be made in the near future in this field may have mixed effects on the ecosystem and human population. During the green revolution the development of high yielding varieties caused a net, if not overall increase in food productivity fulfilling the aim of green revolution. The western countries highly benefitted from it. The agriculture in the west was 7 times more efficient than the Third-World countries in 1950, 36 times more efficient and prosperous in 1985.[2] The High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) were very effective in decreasing the poverty and increasing the overall food productivity leading to sustained grain production. The seeds of these crops were resistant to the common type of pest that attacked them. The techniques used were land-labour efficient. After the arrival of BT cotton in Asia, India and China became the third and the second largest exporters respectively. The growth of BT crops also requires much less pesticide as compares to naturally bred cotton. This decrease the burden of loan on the farmer and could possibly end rural Indebtedness. Also the increase in probability of a good harvest is a boon for farmers. Moreover, young farmers are attracted to cotton farming in the country.[3] Not only in crops but genetic engineering has expanded even to aquaculture. Genetically modified fish which are larger in size and more in weight have been produced. Therefore, Genetic engineering is a boon to mankind and may eradicate all the problems of mankind like poverty and hunger leading to overall prosperity.

REFERENCES: 1. 2. 3. Genetic Engineering - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering Bairoch, Paul, 1989 ,Minerva 29 : 61-69 ISCI - http://www.isaaa.org/india/media/ISCI_Templeton_Survey_Pressrelease_15Dec2013English.pdf