A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops
On average, GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%. Yield gains and pesticide reductions are larger for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops. Yield and profit gains are higher in developing countries than in developed countries.
I’m surprised Suzuki won’t acknowledge this, given his status as a foremost science guru and expert on fruit flies. Great post Kate. My great-lookin’ 2014 crop of GMO grain corn thanks you. I’ll be chewin’ on fat kernels while it unloads at the elevator, and I’ll tip my hat to the transgenic breeders for those increased profits!
WEll said Shawn McRae there is a place for you in…. HEAVEN!
GMO’s are like any other tech, they can be good or bad.
Monsanto and it’s roving packs of feral lawyers is bad.
About 20+ years ago, Monsanto developed outstanding lines of GMO potatoes that were resistant to Colorado potato beetle. Great technology! No matter how much someone does not like Monsanto, it is unfair to criticize their efforts and millions spent, only to be all lost. Producers along the eastern seaboard spray up to 15 times for CPB (typically 8 to 12 times to avoid total crop loss). These lines of Russet Burbank and others cultivars basically eliminated the need to spray. Yet, the media and greens opposed this and drove the technology away. It was a crying shame. Immoral.
The bacterium, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), contains a gene that produces a protein that is toxic to CPB and many other insects such as cabbage worm. Bt is promoted by the “organic” crowd and a bacteria solution is sprayed on crops. Monsanto researchers transferred the gene to potatoes. They were 100% safe (X10) and yet the technology was vilified by the organic crowd, ignorant media and some paranoid countries like Japan. All the while, organic farmers continue to slop this Bt stuff directly on their crops and conventional producers are restricted to using insecticides. Sure, the insecticides are safe, but the GMO technology was far better.
We can only hope the GMO potatoes return one day. Monsanto did great work on developing these varieties.
CAS
Same story on “Golden Rice”. Greenies would rather poor kids in India and Asia continue to go blind, rather than allow the poor in those countries to grow Golden Rice.
I really can’t stand Greenies. They are scum.
Once again I become suspicious of the funding by vested interests not willing to advance with civilization when the “greenies” become louder through funding.
I wonder if the internal combustion engine would have survived the horse manure franchisees if the anti-automobile protesters had received sufficient funding.
My Gawd! These noisy, smelly, dangerous contraptions with explosive and flammable tanks of gasoline in every one of them. If it only saves one life they should all be banned.
One of the more interesting uses of GMOs is modifying plants to grow vaccines. This produces vaccines cheaply and they can be taken orally. I don’t know how the anti-GMO crowd can possibly be against this, except that they just want people to die.
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/the-pulse/62828-lettuce-the-new-secret-weapon-for-making-vaccines-cheaper-in-the-developing-world
You and Clive, well said.
TimR fingers the real reason with, “…except that they just want people to die.”
If the “greenie” anti-GMO, anti resource development crowd had their way we would all be living in caves and eating grass.
actually Ken , and it is the sad part, they are just believers. They have taken conventional religion and replaced with their new religion. Most of these “believers” are too poorly informed and do not have the cognitive skills to develop the thinking accredited to them. To put it simply, they are just plain stupid.