Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering to introduce specific traits, such as pest resistance, higher yields or improved nutritional content. Unlike traditional breeding, genetic modification allows for precise changes at the molecular level, often by inserting genes from other organisms. These artificial changes cause public debate over their role in food production.

Famous English economist Thomas Malthus said, “The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.” However, thanks to progressions in agricultural technology, like GMOs, he was proven wrong.

The purpose of farming is to produce food for consumption. According to the USDA, average organic crop yields per acre are anywhere from 10-15% less than GMO crops, and 100 million more acres of land (which is roughly the size of California) would have to be cultivated for organic crops to produce the same amount as GMOs. Organic crops’ lower yields per acre would only exacerbate issues of land overuse. GMOs are able to outcompete organic crops in yield sizes because, according to Alliance For Science, GMOs can boost crop yields by reducing maturity time and by making crops more insect, disease and drought resistant. GMOs allow for more crops and healthier crops. GMOs are designed to help fulfill the purpose of farming and producing food, and they work. 

GMOs’ benefits do not stop at only yields; they also are less taxing on the environment. In a study performed by PG Economics, they found that GMO crops can lower carbon emissions related to farming, saving 27 billion kg of carbon dioxide emissions compared to organic crops — the equivalent of removing 11.9 million cars from the road for one year. This is because organic farmers are forced to rely more heavily on carbon-emission intensive tilling than GMO farmers. Organic farming is also more climatically harmful because of its reliance on composting, which produces harmful methane gas when done anaerobically (without oxygen). 

Many common arguments and beliefs against GMOs are baseless and simply rumors. One of these common misconceptions is that GMOs are linked to cancer. However, according to the American Cancer Society, there is no evidence to link GMO intake and an increased risk of cancer. These misconceptions cause people to believe that GMOs negatively affect health when, in fact, GMOs can actually have positive effects on health for consumers. For example, insect repellent GMOs reduce the use of pesticides and in turn reduce pesticide poisonings. These positive effects are even more prevalent in developing countries because farmers in poorer, developing countries often lack the proper application tools for safe pesticide application according to a study performed by North Carolina State. 

GMOs also help to combat malnutrition in similarly developing countries. As per the official Golden Rice Project website, a humanitarian organization, many developing countries rely on rice as a primary source of nutrition. Rice is mostly an excellent form of cheap sustenance in these countries, but the common rice lacks vitamin A, which leads to vitamin A deficiencies and compromises the immune systems of around 40% of children under the age of five in the developing world. GMOs, however, can solve this issue by incorporating vitamin A into a genetically modified strain of rice, called “Golden Rice.” The widespread adoption of Golden Rice from the Golden Rice Project in the developing world improves adolescent health — all because of the scientific innovation that is the GMO.

GMOs are undoubtedly better than non-modified, or organic crops, which are outclassed in every metric of success. GMOs are better for the environment, better for crop yield and can even pave the way for better conditions in the developing world.

Across America, unhealthy and unsustainable farming practices are threatening our environment, wildlife and even human health. These practices involve the widespread use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) — a form of crop engineering that has led to serious ecological and health concerns.

GMOs can have significant ecological consequences, particularly due to the excessive use of herbicides. According to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, GMOs can have severe consequences on the environment around a farm. Essentially, farmers and scientists genetically modify their crops to be more or completely resistant to certain herbicides. Then, farmers use an unhealthy and damaging amount of herbicide to clear plants other than the desired crops. This practice results in herbicide runoff, contaminating soil and water while harming surrounding ecosystems. A notable example is the destruction of the Monarch Butterflies’ primary food source, the Milkweed plant. From a study by the National Academy of Science, because GMOs are engineered to resist herbicides, when herbicides are sprayed indiscriminately across crop fields, all non-resistant plants are damaged. This process endangers ecosystems as well as food sources for many animals.

These herbicides not only have damaging effects on local ecosystems, but also on ecosystems thousands of miles away. This problem is known as genetic contamination, which is the spread of GM (genetically modified) DNA from GMOs to normal plants. From an NPR reported study, a strand of GM Feral Canola — a plant that produces canola oil — was found 3,000 miles away from its birthplace in North Dakota. This kind of movement shows just how far these “escapes” of GMOs can travel. Feral GMOs can also spread and evolve into new, more resistant plants, which in turn can spread to other farms. Then, as reported by PLOS One, since the feral GMOs already have anti-herbicide genes, the farmers have almost no way to stop them from taking nutrients from the crops they want to grow. 

As well as hurting ecosystems, DNA splicing in consumer foods can also cause great harm to communities across the nation. From studies surveyed by the National Library of Medicine, introducing genetically modified food into different animals leads to an increase in toxicity in multiple organs with negative effects on hepatic, pancreatic, renal and reproductive systems. This toxicity is due to the GM DNA that organisms have to break down. If an organism cannot break down a new, lab-created strand of GM DNA from a plant, waste can pile up in their organs and lead to toxicity. 

Another health concern associated with GMOs is allergic reactions derived from spliced and infused DNA between plant species. Business Insider describes how a traditional GM soybean plant infused with Brazil Nut DNA can cause allergic reactions for people with nut allergies without them noticing they are consuming nut DNA at all. The problem is that when people don’t know what kind of DNA they are consuming from different plants, surprise allergic reactions can occur.

In the end, whether by herbicide runoff or harm to humans, it is clear that GMOs are harming our ecosystems as well as human health. With that said, the best way to keep families safer and healthier while also supporting sustainable growing practices is to steer clear of GMOs.