Can GMO foods save humanity?
They might give us a fighting chance to right some of our wrongs
Is GMO good or bad for humanity? This is a question the world has been grappling with for the past few decades. I wrestled with the same question for years too. But the more I read, the more I listened, the more I questioned, the more I believe that GMOs give humanity a fighting chance to right some of its wrongs.
What is GMO?
According to the FDA’s (U.S. Food & Drug Administration) website, this is the official definition
A GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant, animal, or microorganism that has had its genetic material (DNA) changed using technology that generally involves the specific modification of DNA, including the transfer of specific DNA from one organism to another. Scientists often refer to this process as genetic engineering.
Is Genetic modification a new idea?
For most, it might seem like genetic modification is a new idea unleashed by recent advances in science. But in reality, humanity has been experimenting with genetic techniques for centuries. Farmers have used brute force techniques of cross-breeding different species of plants to produce higher-yielding and resistant varieties. In fact, the fleshy corn (or maize) as we know it today is a result of centuries of cross-breeding and survival of the fittest varieties. The earliest known variety of maize was much more humble and it looked a lot more shriveled.
What is different about GMOs?
Unlike the brute force approaches discussed above, the new techniques allow the scientists to add (or remove) particular genes. These modifications allow precise changes such as making them more resistant, increasing yield, removing allergens, and increasing nutrition, etc. These techniques speed up the genetic modification process to a year or two. On the other hand with traditional cross-breeding, it would have taken decades to reach the same results.
What should we be concerned about?
Are they safe?
There have been a lot of debates within the scientific community and the general public at large about the safety of GMO food. However, most scientists believe that GMOs are safe for human and animal consumption.
Do we know enough?
GMO foods are one of the most intensely studied food sources known to humanity. But similar to any other new non-GMO food source we will get longer-term data as time passes and that will help humanity adjust expectations and usage of GMOs. This should not stop us from using GMOs. The lack of this data has not historically stopped us from consuming food that was genetically modified using cross-breeding.
But are there any real benefits to humanity?
Other than the direct benefits of higher quality and speed that I already discussed above. There are some existential benefits.
Hunger!
GMO food has reduced the tremendous amount of hunger across the world in the past few decades. The population across the world is growing at a rapid pace. It is projected that humanity will reach 10 billion around 2050. Most of this growth will come from Asia and Africa.
But the Western world will continue to have an insatiable appetite for meat and food waste. This means that direct and indirect (animal feed) food consumption per person in the West will still be multiples of the rest of the world for the foreseeable future. For humanity to have any chance of feeding 10 Billion people in a couple of decades, GMOs have to be part of the solution.
Climate change!
This is a controversial subject and I almost left it out. But in my heart, I would not have done justice talking about humanity’s future and not addressing the pernicious elephant in the room. We are at the tail end of summer of 2023. The summer that made us realize that once we tip the scales, humanity has very little control over Mother Nature.
As I am writing Hurricane Idalia has made landfall over Florida today, I don’t remember hearing about as many weather catastrophes in a single year in my lifetime. July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month on record. Thousands of devastating wildfires across the world including Canada and Maui. Flooding around the world led to the loss of record amounts of food.
You may or may not believe that climate change is man-made, but this year has definitely opened a lot of eyes that the climate is changing. And that is reducing the amount of land for growing food. For humanity to have any chance of feeding 10 Billion people in a couple of decades, GMOs have to be part of the solution.
Conclusion
One of my wise Uncles said this a few years ago and it stuck with me
“Only the rich in the Western world and the poorest in the developing world can afford to eat organic non-GMO food”
What I think he meant was that in this changing world only the richest might have the means to afford and support organic farming. At the other end of the spectrum, are the impoverished farmers in the developing world who barely survive by eating what they grow.I wish to live in a world where everyone can eat organic food but that reality is a pipe dream now.
As a people, unless we change how we eat, how many mouths we have to feed, and how our actions affect the climate, the only solution is GMO food. But even that is a band-aid buying precious time until we figure out how to live sustainably on this planet. I am confident that with human ingenuity and desperation, we’ll find solutions for a better future. Otherwise, time is of the essence to find ways to pillage and plunder the moon and Mars.
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