Is There a Place for Genetics in Agriculture?

Many people oppose genetically modified crops. There is fear that splicing genes from one species in to another will, for example, turn ordinarily benign rice in to a ravaging carnivorous organism akin to Wyndham's triffids. While that may be an exaggeration, there are good reasons to, if not fear, at least be wary of creations made by artificially changing or combining genes.

Concerns mainly fall in to one of the following categories:

• unforeseen or unintended impacts on stable ecosystems;
• control of seeds by powerful agri-corporations limiting farmers' ability to grow the crops; or
• adverse health effects from unnatural Franken-foods.

Let us consider the first category, which has the biggest potential impact on the environment. Crops have been genetically modified for a number of reasons, all with the aim of increasing yield. Increased yield is not a bad thing but at what cost. One method is to improve resistance of plants to pesticides, meaning that more pesticides can be used reducing the portion of crop lost to pests. This means more pesticides in the environment (which is a whole other topic) and the consequential decline in biodiversity. Other goals, such as improve drought resistance, may have less negative impacts.

I'm not a Luddite. I see benefits to technology. The same scientific and engineering advances in fields such as sanitation, hygiene and medicine that have led to exponential human population growth in a few generations now needs to ensure we can be sustained without wiping out the rest of life on planet earth.  Cross breeding plants (non-GM) has already made great leaps in terms of improving yield of staple crops such as rice and wheat, improving resistance to drought and disease by creating hybrid plants by crossing domesticated and wild varieties. By understanding the function of certain genetic markers this can be more targeted. This way genetics can be used to improve productivity but without creating wholly unnatural organisms.

Adding the study of genetics to the tool box can provide new direction for the continued evolution of food crops which has been going on since humans became farmers while leaving ultimate control in the hands of the farmers. This should not be feared.

More caution is still required when the process involves splicing DNA from unrelated species.


To Follow - is Organic or Conventional farming better for the environment?