BEFORE

G M Oh No’s!
Agriculture has been an essential part of every living being since the beginning. The
beginning, which started in a nomadic-hunting and gathering phase, evolved completely into the
massive monopolized beast of food production that is known today. Because food is such an
essential part of life, society has been in an everlasting pursuit to get more.
After the age of the nomad, when people moved together into communities and settled
down to raise their own food, life expectancy and mortality rate went up, which sent the
population into an exponential climb: little communities grew in size, creating towns, then cities,
and with this expansive population growth, people were still learning the art of cultivating the
land. Eventually, the population got so large that economists and philosophers started to question
whether the agriculture at the time would be able to sustain the people. One of those people was
named Thomas Malthus. Malthus was an economist and demographer that came out with a
theory. Within Frank W Elwell’s article, “Malthus’s Population Principle Explained” he
summarized what Malthus believed, stating that the population-which grows exponentially-
would surpass the amount of food-which grows arithmetically. What Malthus, and other
economists at the time did not forsee, was the agricultural revolution which boosted food and its
production into a heightened level. This revolution, today, feeds eight billion people around the
world. So, how has agriculture changed from then to now? How have farms been able to
exponentially increase their yield? Well, the answer is genetically modified organisms: GMOs.
In current times, the majority of the population does not quite understand what exactly a
GMO really is. There are other terms which are commonly mistaken as a GMO. Within Leah
Payne’s article, “GMO Update” she defines GMO as “foods that have had their genetic material
altered in any way - even through traditional breeding.”(pg. 82). She later states, “what most
people think a GMO is actually a genetically engineered product” (pg. 82). Many abbreviations
are used to separate genetically engineered products (GE), biologically engineered products, and
actual genetically modified organisms. Most of the controversy that stems from the biological
engineering world is from the genetic engineering side. Within genetic engineering, there are
more of the cases of cloning, reproductive technologies, and other hot-topics; whereas, in regards
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to genetically modified organisms, there is more testing and research done, by far the GMO
technology is safer.
GMOs have completely changed the world, especially because they have been around for
centuries. In “Issues for Debate Risks and Benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms”, the
debate council delves deep into how biotechnologies have been around for centuries and the
influence it has had directly in every culture. Scientists have agreed that many benefits have been
given and that these organisms will continue to benefit the world. The potential in helping
developing countries, because GMOs are able create resistant genes, will help staple crops be
able to grow anywhere in any condition. Biotechnologists want to keep GMOs in a free market,
so that it can be fair, without giving too much power to commercial companies (pg. 73). One of
the most important attributes of GMOs is their potential to help people in the world.
Being from a wealthy and independent country, citizens of the United States tend to
forget the high standard of living that a majority of the world’s population does not have. As
David Rottman states in his report, “Why We Will Need Genetically Modified Foods,” “plant
diseases annually destroy some 15% of the world’s agricultural harvest”(pg. 31). A majority of
the 15% which Rottman describes is made up of the third-world and underdeveloped countries.
In those countries, there are incessant famines and harsh climates where people are barely living
and tend to starve to death, due to the severe lack of food. Later in Rottman’s report he relays
that “genetic engineering has the potential to create varieties far better able to withstand the
onslaught”(pg. 31). Through GMOs and biotechnologists’ ability to create disease and famine
resistant staple foods like corn, rice, and wheat; those third-world citizens can be able to feed and
sustain themselves, helping those countries to become more independent and self sufficient.
When there is a hope for something really good, of course there is just the same amount
of push back. This is the same case with GMOs. Unfortunately, because Genetic Engineering is a
relatively new concept to most people, the more controversial side of the technology has brought
more negative attention to the GMO side of things as well. In the “Issues for Debate” article they
stated that even with a majority of GMOs being very good, there are some that do present risks
in regards to human health, care of the environment, and the lack of field testings because of the
BEFORE

increased demand. Elements regarding allergies, preserving biodiversity, and also the fear of
genes being transferred to weeds are all concerns facing the world of GMOs today.
A fear of the unknown is always something that each generation has to face eventually,
and all of these cons are viable points to a negative point of view on GMOs, but with all of the
pros or benefits, how can a society not see them as an asset? In the “Deconstructing ‘Genetically
Modified Organisms’” article they reinstate that “ humans have been practicing genetic
modification on plants and wild animals and consuming the resulting crops and livestock for
nearly 11,000 years” (pg. 22). This was demonstrated quite clearly during a personal interview
with Mrs. Alisha Neil, an agricultural teacher and FFA advisor at Herriman High School, while
talking about her family cow-calf operation.
Alisha Neil had attended Utah State University and studied animal husbandry while
there. When asked to describe animal husbandry, she said that it was the practice of selecting
animals to get a desired characteristic(s). An example she gave was in regards to meat cows. An
ideal meat steer, for today’s market, is broad and square. This shape gives the highest quality and
quantity of meat. So, in Neil’s example, if she was to have a really skinny cow, then she would
put in for semen from a large and square bull, to ideally breed a calf that is broad and square. As
simple as this sounds, in reality this is what a GMO is. By taking animals and selectively
breeding them to have an ideal shape or yield, society is creating a genetically modified
organism.
One thing that history has taught after its several millenium of time, is the idea of
evolution and innovation. The ideal of survival of the fittest or fastest or strongest has always
been on the platform for many genius minds. If mankind has been able to make changes and
genetically modify animals and crops for over eleven thousand years, how badly can this newest
innovation to the world of agriculture be? What if those new biotechnologies being studied today
are the world’s next ‘agricultural revolution’?

Works Cited
BEFORE

Elwell, Frank W., 2003, "Malthus's Population Principle Explained." 2018.

http://www.faculty.rsu.edu/~felwell/Theorists/Essay/Malthus1.htm
Goldbas, Abbie. "Gmos: What Are They?." International Journal of Childbirth Education, vol.
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Rotman, David. "Why We Will Need Genetically Modified Foods." MIT Technology Review,
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