Genetically modified foods, Is it the answer?

Change TV - GMO's or genetically modified organisms, the praised solution to world hunger is a contentious issue that has dominated the global debate over food security since its inception. Are genetically modified foods the answer that we have been so desperately looking for? What is the future of global food stocks and ownership of genetic material? Is it all just one giant conspiracy? What are the health concerns and do we know the impact of GMO's on health and nutrition? To find out more watch this video then visit www.changetv.co.za, Change TV was filmed in Cape Town South Africa
Please leave comments on what you think

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[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 3 of the studies were done by the UN with UN website liks. The other link is to sciencedaily which is a reputable source, but here is a link to the original journal it was published in. "organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base." journals.cambridge"dot"org/act­ion/displayAbstract?fromPage=o­nline&aid=1091304

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 Weeks? It takes longer than weeks just for some seeds to germinate. The entire life cycle of the plant would have to occur just to check if the desired trait works, etc. Even if it did work it is usually then conventionally bred to produce seed for sale, if it is a food crop it would have a 28-90 day health study, after it produced food, etc. GM crops take years, not months or weeks, the same goes for conventional breeding.

[jamesdyer1997]

@myndy86

concentrated breeding can take years compared to GM which can take months, maybe even weeks to do... and yes you quoted studies, but I bet they were from a website. If so, I rest my case...

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 Time frame for GM is not that much different than conventional breeding, and conventional breeding(used in organic) has already created herbicide tolerant, pest/disease resistant, drought tolerant, salt tolerant, flood tolerant, nutrient enhanced, high yielding, etc. crops. GM generally poses additional risks than conventional breeding, such as antibiotic resistant markers, use of virus promoters, use of agrobacterium, etc. I quoted studies, I didn't make it up.

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 GMO hasn't been done for thousands of years. "definitions are used by agencies that regulate genetically modified organisms (GMO's).""guidelines issued by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, genetic engineering is defined as the genetic modification of organisms by recombinant DNA techniques (7CFR340: 340.1).""Recombinant DNA techniques (DNA formed by combining segments of DNA from different organisms)" ers.usda.gov/briefing/biotechn­ology/glossary.htm

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 You can read the studies yourself, I posted the links(you have to add h t t p : / / w w w . without the spaces to the front and you may have to change the "dot" to a .), one of the ways organic can increase yields is because numerous studies suggest organic has higher yields during times of drought or in areas with poor access to water, but there are many other reasons as well.

[jamesdyer1997]

@myndy86

that is stupid! You are just making up rubbish now you have ran out of slightly less stupid things to say... how on earth can organic food produce triple the amount then GM food? the fact still stands that we need pest resistant crops which do not take years of concentrated breeding. you say you do not like GM. but we have been changing crops for our benefit for thousands of years. why complain when we just speed it up?

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 "Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land.""in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods" sciencedaily"dot"com/releases/­2007/07/070711134523.htm

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 "Today's scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live- especially in unfavorable environments.""To date agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80% in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116% for all African projects." srfood.org/index.php/en/compon­ent/content/article/1174-repor­t-agroecology-and-the-right-to­-food

[myndy86]

@jamesdyer1997 "Organic farming can lead to increased food production – in many cases a doubling of yields has been seen""the average crop yield increase was even higher for these projects: 116 per cent increase for all African projects and 128 per cent increase for the projects in East Africa""backed up by studies from Asia and Latin America that concluded that organic farming can reduce poverty in an environmentally friendly way." unctad.org/en/docs/ditcted2007­15_en.pdf